Tag Archives: Hazard River

What’s your story?

I hope you’ve had a great Easter break. I’ve been in Noosa – paddling, swimming, catching up with friends and doing some writing (I promise). I’ve had some questions about my books over the holidays, so I thought it was a good chance to wrap up the story so far … A QUICK SUMMARY I have written eleven books forContinue reading “What’s your story?”

WA visit: May 15-19

Hello WA! I will be winging my way to your side of the country soon – visiting schools in the Perth area from May 15-19, 2017. If you would like me to spend the day at your school – talking about story ideas, characters, the Choose Your Own Ever After series, Hazard River, orang-utans andContinue reading “WA visit: May 15-19”

Happy 2016!

You know you’re on holidays when you relish the chance to get out of bed at daybreak. With the Noosa River calling, and a paddleboard with my name on it, who has got time to sleep. Sting rays are flitting across the river bed, pelicans are sailing past, early-rising fishermen head for the bar, andContinue reading “Happy 2016!”

Book Week stories

A massive round of applause to all of the school librarians who made Book Week rock. Far from being the buttoned-up noise-Nazis that we’ve come to expect, the librarians I’ve encountered love to see kids excited about reading, and they’ll happily put on a costume, throw a parade and lure authors away from their desks toContinue reading “Book Week stories”

How to strengthen your writing voice

This week I’ve been working with school children on developing their writing voice. I know plenty of adults who would have a hard time defining this concept, so it might seem like a mature topic for kids. But the reality is – students are marked on their voice in NAPLAN tests, so, it’s an aspectContinue reading “How to strengthen your writing voice”

A visit to Hazard River

It’s hard not to be inspired by this place – a little corner of bushland between the Noosa River and the North Shore beach. There are no chic shops or must-do restaurants on this side of the river. It’s all about dirt tracks, deserted beaches, boats, bikes and  unexpected encounters – kangaroos boxing on theContinue reading “A visit to Hazard River”

6 key ingredients for Descriptive Writing

My son is studying descriptive writing at high school. For homework he was asked to write a paragraph on the view from his window. It’s a tough call when there’s not much going on out there.   But that, of course,  is the whole point of the exercise – to note what generally goes unnoticed, and toContinue reading “6 key ingredients for Descriptive Writing”

How to motivate reluctant readers

Has there ever been a better time to be a young book lover? The diversity and volume of children’s books is staggering. There is something in print for every reading level and every possible interest, cleverly illustrated and packaged  inside an inviting cover. Yet, a lot of children approach reading with the same enthusiasm asContinue reading “How to motivate reluctant readers”

A year on

It’s a year since the first stories in the Hazard River adventure series hit bookshops. Phew, I have learned a thing or two in that time … Securing a publishing contract for your first book is a little like giving birth to your first child – you spend so much time preparing for the actualContinue reading “A year on”