by Allison Tait | Apr 4, 2026 | Blog, Books, My books, Writing
If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you’ll know that I started out (many, many, many years ago) writing romance novels (for adults). Or trying to write romance novels as it turned out.
I started reading the genre when I was about 13 (Sweet Dreams and Sweet Valley High, anyone?) and then really jumped into romance novels proper at 17 as an antidote to the stress of the HSC.
When people asked me why I read them because after all, ‘I knew how they were going to turn out’, my response was, ‘yeah, exactly, I know how they’re going to turn out’.
When you’re stressed and anxious, there’s a lot to be said for the fact that you’re reading a book that you KNOW will have a happy ending, no matter how bad things might look halfway through.
Plus, frankly, I loved the focus on the characters, I loved the focus on the relationships (even though some of the books I read back then showcased relationships I would run a mile from now), and I was in love with the idea of love.
So, tick, tick, tick.
Heads up: romance readers are now 10+
I don’t think there’s any coincidence in the fact that romance remains the highest-selling genre, nor in the fact that tweens, who are exposed to the whole world via social media and other online spaces, are looking for romance at a younger age. When your world is uncertain, you start to look for happy endings.
And I know they’re looking, thanks to my work with Your Kid’s Next Read.
Because we monitor the Your Kid’s Next Read Facebook group every day, we see the trends for reader interest on the rise, often kicked off by what’s happening in other media and conversation. Though we saw a few requests for recommendations in 2023, things really kicked off around romance for tweens in January 2024 and it remains strong.
In Feb 2024, we did a podcast episode titled ‘The Love Stuff’ to address some of those community discussions. Then, in May 2025, we updated to a list of romance novels suitable for tweens, based on community recommendations as well as Team YKNR recommendations
By that stage, I had been approached by Scholastic Australia to gauge my interest in writing a novel for their ‘Two Hearts’ series of tween romance novels. The characters in the stories are all aged around years 7-9 at high school, but the books are sweet, clean and entirely middle-grade appropriate (for readers 10+). (More about the series here.)
Given I feel I’ve been training for this moment my whole life, I could not jump on board fast enough.
And now it’s here!
Book #3 in the Two Hearts series of standalone romance novels for tween readers (10+), ‘The Last Word’ captures the awkward, sweet, discombobulating, wonderful experience of first love. With debating. And chickens.
You can read more about ‘The Last Word’ and buy it here.
What inspired ‘The Last Word’?
Given ‘The Last Word’ was the first time I’ve been asked to write a particular type of novel, I was a bit nervous. Usually, I pitch an idea that had been rolling around in my subconscious for years or even, as many of you would know, write the entire book to find out what it is before I can even do that.
But in the end, I worked in a similar way to my usual process. I began with the characters and then figured out where they lived. Matilda appeared on the page as I wrote the first lines:
For Matilda Bell, the best part of the first day of a new school year was the stationery.
I could see a very tidy, conscientious girl, setting out pencils and I had a strong sense of who she was straight away. A high-achieving spreadsheet kind of girl, who’s relied on one friend to get her through school and now her friend has moved away. Everything is the same at school, but it’s not. And she’s now facing the mean girls on her own.
From that point, it’s a matter of upending her day even further, and new guy Will is waiting at the bus stop. Will who doesn’t have to work for his grades, Will who is so bored in class he disrupts everything, Will who is trying to pretend all is fine in his chaotic home life.
And then, as always, I drew from the things I hear, the things I remember, the things I know and the things that make me ask ‘why?’.
Behind the book
Plotting vs Pantsing – the main difference between Matilda and Will actually grew out of different approaches to writing.
Ever since we met at a Romance Writers Australia conference 20 years ago, Allison Rushby (far left) from Your Kid’s Next Read and I have had an ongoing lighthearted argument about whether it’s better to plan an entire novel before you start writing – or to write by the seat of your pants.
Regular readers of this blog will have no doubt at all which side of that argument I land on – and let’s just say that Will and I have a fair bit in common as far as this is concerned.
Debating – this is my high school debating team.
Mandy (far left) was third speaker, Allyson (centre) was first speaker and I was second speaker. We debated together from years 8-10 and this photo was stuck – firmly and immovably – into my year 12 photo album.
We went to regional finals twice and were narrowly defeated twice – clearly we were robbed, right? Our long-suffering debating coordinator was Mr Baker, who fed us mint slice biscuits and put up with our histrionics (and, oh my, were there histrionics).
For me, debating was pure joy. I loved the challenge of coming up with winning arguments, I loved public speaking (with a bit of drama thrown in), and I love, love, loved hanging out with these two.
That joy is where ‘The Last Word’ began for me. I also loved the fact that you could take an opponent’s argument apart and they would congratulate you for it afterwards.
It’s a shame the real world isn’t like that, right? Matilda, my main character, would agree.
Small town: The novel is set in another fictionalised version of the south coast where I live, but this time it’s the farm or inland experience rather than the coast, where ‘The First Summer of Callie McGee’ is set, or the larger regional town experience of ‘Danger Road’.
Matilda’s favourite cafe/milk bar is based on the two milk bars that graced the main street of the town in which I spent my high school years, and the Great Milkshake Debate is … well, a classic (note, Chocolate is always the correct response).
Chickens: The chickens arrived with Matilda’s sister Darcy and they came with their chicken coop based on the Château de Chenonceau from the beginning. I had seen a documentary about it and was captivated by this so-called ‘Castle of Ladies’. I had enormous fun naming the chickens, particularly the plucky (and clucky) Lady Peneggope!
I didn’t know how important the chickens were going to be until the story rolled along.
Will and I have a lot in common when it comes to making things up on the spot.
Bringing it all together
If you’d like to get a sense of how all of these things came together to create ‘The Last Word’, you can hear me talk about it here with author Adrian Beck on his Be More Bookish podcast.
And you can hear me read the first chapter of the book in this Your Kid’s Next Read Friday First Chapters episode.
If nothing else, it will show you what I was hearing in my head as I wrote those first lines…
Are you new here? Welcome to my blog!
I’m Allison Tait, aka A.L. Tait, and I’m the author of 12 middle-grade novels, including adventure fantasy series such as The Mapmaker Chronicles, The Ateban Cipher, and the Maven & Reeve Mysteries, and contemporary stories including ‘The First Summer of Callie McGee’, ‘Willow Bright’s Secret Plot’, ‘Danger Road’ and ‘The Last Word’
You can find out more about me here, and more about my books here.
If you’re looking for book recommendations for young readers, join the Your Kid’s Next Read Facebook community, tune in to the Your Kid’s Next Read podcast and sign up for the Your Kid’s Next Read newsletter.
by Allison Tait | May 1, 2025 | Blog, Books, My books, Reading, Writing, Your Kid's Next Read
I could not be more excited to let you know that my new middle-grade novel WILLOW BRIGHT’S SECRET PLOT is out today!
Written by me, published by Scholastic Australia, beautiful cover created by Grace Felstead. Isn’t it lovely?
It’s the story of Willow Bright, a capable country kid who is transplanted to the inner city in grade six – and quickly decides that it’s not for her.
But while Willow’s busy figuring out how to get home, she also finds herself making unexpected friends, trying to solve a mystery and making space for herself.
I love this review by my Your Kid’s Next Read podcast co-host Megan Daley.
‘Willow Bright’s Secret Plot’ is warm and witty, full of heart, mystery, and just the right amount of dirt under the fingernails. It weaves themes of identity, belonging, grief, and the shift from country to city living into a super engaging story.
With a subtle thread of gardening running throughout, there is also a reminder that even when you feel out of place, you can still bloom where you’re planted. Perfect for readers 9–12.’
You can read more about the book here.
And you can buy ‘Willow Bright’s Secret Plot’ at your local bookshop or favourite online bookseller (selection below).
QBD Books
Dymocks
Readings
Amazon
Abbey’s Bookshop
Riverbend Books
PEEK INSIDE WILLOW BRIGHT’S SECRET PLOT
I love the design of the book, with its printed internal covers and a fairy wren motif throughout.
It’s dedicated to my cousins because part of Willow’s story involves her cousin Fleur. The two girls are close in age and similar in appearance – but incredibly different people. The unfolding of their developing relationship was a joy to watch and write.
In a thrill for 10-year-old me, ‘Willow Bright’s Secret Plot’ is not only in the current Scholastic Book Club catalogue, but featured on the poster!
I do hope you enjoy Willow’s story! Let me know what you think!
Are you new here? Welcome to my blog!
I’m Allison Tait, aka A.L. Tait, and I’m the author of 11 middle-grade novels, including adventure fantasy series such as The Mapmaker Chronicles, The Ateban Cipher, and the Maven & Reeve Mysteries, and contemporary stories including THE FIRST SUMMER OF CALLIE McGEE, WILLOW BRIGHT’S SECRET PLOT and DANGER ROAD (July 25).
You can find out more about me here, and more about my books here.
If you’re looking for book recommendations for young readers, join the Your Kid’s Next Read Facebook community, tune in to the Your Kid’s Next Read podcast and sign up for the Your Kid’s Next Read newsletter.
by Allison Tait | Oct 14, 2024 | Blog, Books, My books, Reading, Writing, Your Kid's Next Read
The first book in The Mapmaker Chronicles series turns 10 today. Double figures. A Big Kid by anyone’s standards.
Ten years ago today, Race To The End Of The World was published – my first experience of the joy and confounding ambivalence of publication day as a children’s author.
Sending your debut novel out into the world is simultaneously thrilling, terrifying and – incredibly uneventful. I expected parades and instead dropped my two boys at school, picked them up and (probably) had spag bol for dinner.
But, as I prepare for the publication of my tenth middle-grade novel in 2025, I can honestly say that the many hours I put into dreaming up and writing Race To The End Of The World were some of the best hours of my life.
The product of one million words
Before I wrote my first children’s novel, I had written three full adult novels of 90,000+ words each. I had been lucky enough to have two non-fiction books published, along with three ghost-written books. I had completed thousands and thousands of articles for magazines and newspapers, along with everything from advertising campaigns and annual reports.
Conservatively, I had written one million words.
I knew that I knew how to write sentences – sentences that were funny, compelling, engaging and beautiful, all at different times, sometimes at the same time.
What Quinn, Ash, Zain and the other characters in Race To The End Of The World taught me was how to write a story.
The first book I’d ever written for children and the first book I’d ever written that had me so absorbed in what happened next that I forgot to overthink, forgot to be a perfectionist, forgot to try to be a Writer, and instead just wrote down the story.
A story that filled every nook and cranny of my brain for six weeks (except for the bits required to keep the family alive). Where the actual writing mostly took place between 10pm and midnight.
Six weeks. That’s how long the first draft took me.
Then, of course, the editing began.
It took almost a year from the day that Suzanne O’Sullivan at Hachette Australia said ‘yes’ to publishing the book for it to appear on shelves. By then, I’d written Prisoner of The Black Hawk and drafted Breath Of The Dragon as well.
(I needed the full first trilogy written before I went out to talk about Race To The End Of The World – when you write like I do, it’s essential.)
It takes a village (or two) to keep a book in print
My oldest son was nine years old when we first had the two conversations that inspired this epic fantasy adventure story. (You can see my first ever video interview about the series here, where I talk about those conversations and what happened after that.)
I am enormously proud of the fact that The Mapmaker Chronicles is still available today, and published in several territories. I still get regular emails from readers who have discovered the series and want to tell me how much they love it (and asking where book 5 is, but that’s a different story…).
Thank you to everyone who has read the books and shared it with others. If you haven’t read them yet, there’s more information here.
Books do not last ten years without a lot of help and I cherish the support of readers and my various communities, from The Pink Fibro (IYKYK) to Your Kid’s Next Read, who have been with me on this mighty journey and helped me navigate my career as a children’s author.
I think Quinn would be very proud.
Find out more
The Mapmaker Chronicles series
How To Be A Children’s Author
How to write a series
Why I love reluctant heroes
The original book announcement post
Curriculum information about the book
Teachers’ Notes
Are you new here? Welcome to my blog! I’m Allison Tait, aka A.L. Tait, and I’m the author of middle-grade series, The Mapmaker Chronicles, The Ateban Cipher, and the Maven & Reeve Mysteries. My latest novel THE FIRST SUMMER OF CALLIE McGEE is out now. You can find out more about me here, and more about my books here.
If you’re looking for book recommendations for young readers, join the Your Kid’s Next Read Facebook community, tune in to the Your Kid’s Next Read podcast and sign up for the Your Kid’s Next Read newsletter.
by Allison Tait | Aug 2, 2024 | Blog, Reading, writing tips for kids, Your Kid's Next Read
‘Tis the season of school visits and I’m lucky enough to have been invited by the NSW Branch of the Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) to visit four local schools who are participating in the CBCA Sun Project: Book Of The Year Shadow Judging program.
The Shadow Judging encourages young voices from groups across Australia to join the conversation about the annual CBCA Book of the Year Shortlist and choose their own winners. Groups choose one category from the shortlists to read, discuss and reflect upon, and then create a creative response to each book in the category and vote on their favourites.
The 2024 Shadow Judging Book of the Year Awards winners are decided by the kids’ votes, and will be announced as part of the awards rollout on August 16, putting the thoughts of young readers right into the mix in deciding the best books of the year.
It’s such a great initiative to encourage young readers to engage critically and creatively with the shortlisted titles.
One of the stated benefits of the Shadow Judging program is to ‘support the development of reading breadth, depth and a sense that reading is a cultural practice where opinions are shared in a supportive reading community’ and I am here for that!
So, when I was asked by one of the four schools, in particular, to bring my top tips for literary judging, I took my role very seriously and reached out to my Your Kid’s Next Read podcast co-host Megan Daley to provide tips from someone who’s experienced and respected in the field.
Megan Daley’s top five tips for literary judges
As well as being my partner in Quality Waffle, Megan Daley is a Teacher Librarian and has been awarded the ASLA Australian Teacher Librarian of the Year 2023 and the SLAQ Queensland Teacher Librarian of the Year, as well as the national Dromkeen Librarians Award.
She is the author of the bestselling book ‘Raising Readers’ as well as ‘Teacher, Teacher’ and ‘The Beehive’. A former national vice-president of the Children’s Book Council of Australia, Megan is also a speaker, regular literary judge, and festival curator.
Megan has been a literary judge for the Queensland Literary Awards and The Wilderness Society Awards as well as for several regional literary awards.
In short, Megan has credentials in this space.
These are her top five tips on literary judging for the CBCA Shadow Judges – and for those brilliant educators who are leading groups of ‘Shadowers’ at their schools.
1. It’s not about you
It is very easy to fall into the trap of being drawn to a book for an award because you like it. I have been guilty of this myself and I work very hard on this. Taking out personal opinion is tricky but to help, fall back on the criteria and read knowing that the book may not have been written with you as the target audience but that does not mean it is not worthy.
2. Criteria, criteria, criteria
My day job is as a teacher and as a teacher and a mother of teens who are all doing assignments right now – always start and end judging (and assignment writing!) with the criteria. Read the judging criteria, highlight the criteria, unpack what the criteria is asking for and keep the cirteria close so that you can keep going back to it.
3. Target audience
Think about who a particular book was written for and does it meet the reading needs of that audience. If it is a picture book aimed at toddlers – will it engage them in all the right ways? If it is a picture book for a mature audience – will it make the reader work hard and think deeply? Do the illustrations and text work in unison?
4. Wow factor
After having considered all of the points above look at whether a book has something extra special about it that elevates it above the rest? It may be something you cannot quite put your finger on, it may be a super original idea done in an engaging way, it may be astonishing interplay between text and images. If a book makes you go WOW, then that is a book to put on your own personal shortlist.
5. Read every book
Read every book in the mix for the judging – every single book needs to be given a chance and some books may surprise and delight you. Each book needs to be judged individually but do read all the books in the mix.
Are you new here? Welcome to my blog! I’m Allison Tait, aka A.L. Tait, and I’m the author of middle-grade series, The Mapmaker Chronicles, The Ateban Cipher, and the Maven & Reeve Mysteries. My latest novel THE FIRST SUMMER OF CALLIE McGEE is out now. You can find out more about me here, and more about my books here.
If you’re looking for book recommendations for young readers, join the Your Kid’s Next Read Facebook community, tune in to the Your Kid’s Next Read podcast and sign up for the Your Kid’s Next Read newsletter.
by Allison Tait | Apr 23, 2024 | Advice for Writers, Blog, Writing
What’s it really like to be a debut children’s author?
When I think back to my own experience (ten years ago now!) I remember excitement, trepidation, confusion, consternation, celebration and more.
But everyone’s experience is different – or is it?
Over the last year, I’ve had a front row seat for several debuts as members of my Write With Allison Tait group have launched their book babies into the world.
I asked one of those members to encapsulate the experience in a post and she has delivered in spades.
Heidi Walkinshaw writes stories for children, finding the fun and laughter in the everyday.
Her debut picture book Some Fish Have Moustaches (illustrated by Michel Streich) was released in June 2023 through Affirm Press, and she was recently Longlisted in the Just Write for Kids Pitch It competition.
Below, Heidi shares her experiences of being a debut author over the past 12 months – because the debut process begins well before publication day!
6 lessons from my first year as a debut author
By Heidi Walkinshaw
I’ve loved to read for as long as I can remember. I would tag along with my grandmother to our local library, spending hours trawling the shelves and delighting in taking those stories home to get lost in for the two-week loan, the little return-by-date stamped inside the card on the front cover.
At school, I had great teachers who encouraged me to write, and I would fill pages with worlds beyond my own. Life doesn’t always go according to plan, however, and writing was pushed to the side for more “serious” career pursuits, leading me to a world outside the creative field.
It was only years later, a series of life changes and the courage to take a leap of faith that I stepped back into something that had been calling me for so long, and last year my debut picture book Some Fish Have Moustaches was published.
It hasn’t been an easy first year as a debut author. There have been highs and lows, wins and rejections and a lot of lessons along the way. Here are six of the key things I’ve learned.
It’s a game of inches, not miles – take your time and persist
There is an old saying that an overnight success takes a decade. This could apply to any career and certainly rings true when stepping into the world of authorship.
Success seldom happens instantly – as the online world may have you believe – and there are hurdles that you
will need to cross to get your manuscripts to those glorious bookseller shelves.
The path to becoming an author takes time and persistence. Even after you are published and the excitement has settled down, there is more work to be done and no guarantee that you can get your next idea across the line.
Keep going, keep working at it and eventually one will stick.
The roughs are just that – rough
When I look back at my first drafts of Some Fish Have Moustaches, I often wonder what I was thinking at the time.
It was headed in a completely different direction from what was eventually submitted and then published.
First drafts are just that – the first attempt before you iron out all the details.
Whether it’s your manuscript or the illustrations that you first receive, it is imperative to remember that it is the first concept and not the finished product.
On days when I had doubts, I was reminded to go back and look at the first drafts of some of my favourite picture books, like The Gruffalo and gain insight into the journey of some of the most successful creators in our space.
Find other creatives for support
There are wonderful humans out there who will cheer you on, especially on the less-than-creative days and pull you up when the blows knock you down.
And you had better believe there will be a few of those.
A career in the arts is certainly not for the faint-hearted and a group of like-minded creatives will help to motivate you, give you support and a reality check when your ego needs to go back in the pocket.
Joining a writing group was one of the best investments that I made in getting to know other writers and their projects. We get to share what we are working on, our challenges and the wins.
Life as a writer can be a solitary existence and having others to share it with helps build a supportive community.
Ask questions and look fear in the face
For most of my career, I worked in a space where questions were a part of daily life.
I developed a mantra of “No question is a silly question, especially if it is going to help you learn.”
While I’m not always great at reaching out and asking questions – usually out of a ridiculous fear – one thing I am trying for when I’m not sure, is to ask someone who has already taken the road less travelled and learn from their lessons.
Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and build connections with others, no matter how much networking scares the pants off you. The writing community is incredibly warm and willing to share their experiences.
Just keep in mind that their time is also valuable.
Be prepared to do the legwork
There are so many avenues to publishing now and all have different approaches to getting your book to market.
I was incredibly fortunate to have the support of the team at Affirm Press to launch Some Fish Have Moustaches and as a debut author, they were amazing every step of the way.
While the publisher will handle producing and getting your book onto the shelves, it is also up to you to do the legwork.
Get to know your local booksellers, especially in your immediate community. Booksellers are some of the best people you can meet and are usually very welcoming.
While there is no requirement, a website is essential real estate for others to learn more about you and your book.
There is no shortage of social media sites available for use and whatever you choose – for me it was focusing on Instagram – make sure that it is manageable and gives you a space for engagement with readers and the writing community.
Celebrate on publication day
Publication day is everything and nothing all at once and I had sage advice from a mentor to go out and celebrate.
Battling minimal sleep and a toddler who decided it would be fun to bring home head lice from daycare, going out was the last thing I felt like doing.
But we deloused, organised the troops and headed out as a family.
It was the best advice I could have received and well worth it to celebrate a milestone that had taken many years to achieve.
The author’s life is one that we do for love and if you blend that love with commitment and add a dash of discipline, the wins will come.
Just keep at it and the writing community will be right there to cheer you on.
Find out more about Heidi Walkinshaw on her website, or follow her on Instagram.
Discover more information and teacher’s resources for Some Fish Have Moustaches here.
Are you new here? Welcome to my blog! I’m Allison Tait and you can find out more about me here and more about my online writing courses here.
Subscribe to my newsletter for updates, insights and more amazing writing advice.
Or check out So You Want To Be A Writer (the book), where my co-author Valerie Khoo and I have distilled the best tips from hundreds of author and industry expert interviews. Find out more and buy it here.
