As threatened, it’s here. Day one of #writeabookwithal (Feb 2018). If you’ve done this before, you know how it goes. Lots of people TALK about writing a book. Now it’s …
Brace yourselves for #writeabookwithal on Feb 1
With one week of the school holidays left, my thoughts are turning to two things: the huge stack of things on my To Do list and the next book I …
Taking stock in January 2018
One of my favourite people to visit in the blogging world is Pip Lincolne at Meet Me At Mike’s. Her’s is a feel-good space, full of things that make you …
10 things I’ve learnt from writing my debut novel
There’s nothing quite like the experience of having your first novel appear on bookshop shelves. And nothing quite like the learning curve involved in getting the book there in the …
My top 10 posts for authors (2017)
So here we are, the last of my top 10 blog post posts for 2017. Probably just as well as we’re into the second week of January 2018… This time, …
Top 10 posts about writing (2017) as voted by you
It’s time for my annual round-up of ‘most popular posts’. I have a few categories this year, including posts for readers and posts for authors, but I’m starting with posts …
News, reviews and interviews: final update for 2017
I sent out my December newsletter last week, full of writerly goodness, updates and links, but, frankly, one newsletter wasn’t enough to contain all my news as we hurtle towards …
How my book became a musical
If you’ve been listening to the So You Want To Be A Writer podcast, you’ll know that Val and I are both fans of musical theatre. She never misses an …
Writing for kids: How to create remarkable characters
When I asked Australian children’s author Tim Harris to write me a post for kids who love to write, there was no question of the topic: remarkable characters. Tim’s latest …
Cover reveal! Meet The Book Of Answers (Ateban Cipher #2)!
In a very big week for Ateban Cipher news, I’m thrilled to reveal the cover for THE BOOK OF ANSWERS (out in March 2018). Ta da! Isn’t it lovely? I …
NEWS: The Ateban Cipher is heading to the US!
I’m very, really, extremely excited to announce that Kane Miller, my wonderful US publisher for The Mapmaker Chronicles series, will also be taking The Ateban Cipher series to the US. At …
WIN: Signed poster The Book Of Secrets (Ateban Cipher #1)
Look what I got in the post this morning! Hachette Australia has sent me some of the bookshop posters for THE BOOK OF SECRETS (Ateban Cipher #1) and, frankly, they’re …
Teachers’ Notes: The Book Of Secrets
As an author, teachers’ notes are a surprisingly exciting thing. I love seeing what a specialist reader makes of my books and how they tie them to the various aspects …
Writing For Kids: Write What You Love
When I asked my friend Allison Rushby, author of many novels for children, YA and adults, to come up with a post full of writing tips for kids, I had …
Let me read you a story…
Anyone who knows me well, or even listens to my podcast regularly, will know that video and I are not friends. But publishers are persuasive people and so I found …
3 ways to make yourself write when you really don’t want to (but absolutely have to)
If you were part of my most recent #writeabookwithal challenge, you might be familiar with the name Ruth Devine. Ruth, aka R.E. Devine, faithfully checked in each day on Facebook …
Writing for kids: How to be more creative
When Jamie Reeves, the powerhouse behind Blonde Mom Blog, asked me to write a guest post helping parents to encourage kids to get off technology and be more creative, I …
How to make time for creative projects
I’m visiting the gorgeous Pip Lincolne from Meet Me At Mike’s today, sharing my 5 secrets of being creative when you have NO time. Whether you’re a writer or a …
How to host a book launch
As the dust settles from launch week for The Book Of Secrets (Ateban Cipher #1), I finally have time to reflect and share some of the highlights! On Saturday, I …
Writing For Kids: The 10 Keys To A Great Story
I’m over visiting Scarlet Paolicchi at Family Focus blog this week, talking about writing for kids, and the 10 keys to writing a great story. This post is based on …