I had lots of stories and poems published in magazines before my first picture books were accepted for publication. It felt like Christmas when I opened a parcel from the postman to find my first published book ...
My first published picture book was a stranger danger book called You Don't Know Me? I wrote it after attending a police talk for parents when my children were still in primary school. A couple of mornings after the talk I woke up with the first few rhymes running through my mind. Because it was an important subject I was famous for five minutes. The book was used in schools around Australia but in time it went out of print. Many years later I published a brand new version called Jimbo! Don't go! and that continues to share the message with young readers.
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My next picture book came about because a publisher was asking for poems about outer space. My poem was too long for that book but another publisher thought it would make a fun picture book. It is no longer in print but some libraries still have copies. I sometimes still read it to kids when I do author visits because it's all about following your dream and not giving up.
Grandpa Goes to Mars has also been published as a poem in a newspaper, a children's magazine and a seniors' magazine. |
When I was growing up I had two grandmothers who told me stories about their lives. Big Nanna was from Italy and Little Nanna was from England. I loved hearing their tales and decided one day I'd write a story about them. My book started out as the true story of me and my two grandmothers except for the little girl's name. However, the publishers wanted more changes and this book is now almost all fact with a little bit of fiction. It is also long out of print but there are still copies in libraries.
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