Tag Archives: fiction

Getting creative on the Scenic Rim

I’ve read the research: hanging out in nature reduces stress levels, enhances creativity,  improves intelligence and even makes you a nicer person. So after three days of stomping through muddy gullies, tramping up mountain tracks and following black cockatoos on Queensland’s spectacular Scenic Rim, my latest story should basically write itself. As for the impact of all of that deliciousContinue reading “Getting creative on the Scenic Rim”

Books for Easter, too

A big thank you to my friend and fellow writer, Sherryl Caulfield for a wonderful Easter gift – a copy of her new novel, Come Full Circle. The story is the third in the Iceberg Trilogy and promises a raw conclusion to the series, as a woman goes on a journey discover the missing piecesContinue reading “Books for Easter, too”

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!”

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”

Chatting with the masters

I’ve been catching up with some amazing Australian writers over at Boomerang Books. They’ve had hundreds of books published between them, won countless awards and even have a few Order of Australia Medals to their names. They are so very inspiring that I had to share a few snippets from my interviews with Susanne Gervay,Continue reading “Chatting with the masters”

The Call of the US

BUY IT NOW Get ready, girls of the US – the Choose Your Own Ever After series is heading your way. The US publisher Kane Miller has just acquired rights to my second book in the series The Call of the Wild. My first book in the series How to Get To Rio is due for release in theContinue reading “The Call of the US”

Call of the Orangutan

Happy International Orangutan Day – or not so happy, as the case may be. August 19th is being marked to recognize the dangers facing the most iconic victim of the palm oil industry. I first encountered orangutans twenty years ago. I was holidaying on the island of Borneo and came across a sanctuary where young orphanedContinue reading “Call of the Orangutan”

The Call of the Wild

A super-cool party or a save-the-orangutan fundraiser – that’s the choice facing Phoebe Wright in my newest Choose Your Own Ever After story – The Call of the Wild. The book lets you decide how the story goes. You can follow your heart right to the end, or go back and choose all over again.Continue reading “The Call of the Wild”

15 ways to build your writing voice

An authentic and unique voice – it’s what every publisher is looking for in a manuscript, and what every writer is trying to project. It was certainly the topic of the day at the Gold Coast Writers Festival this weekend. So what exactly is this illusive quality? Writer Joe Moore sums it up this way: “Just likeContinue reading “15 ways to build your writing voice”