It’s May! I’m still the University of Otago College of Education Creative New Zealand Children’s Writer in Residence and here are my top tips for writing dialogue because that’s my favourite thing to write: My Children’s Book of the Month is: Be Wild, Little One by Olivia Hope and Daniel Egnéus.
Children’s Writer in Residence: Month 3
I’m in the third month as the University of Otago College of Education Creative New Zealand Children’s Writer in Residence and I thought I’d let you know what I’ve been up to. Find out about how I think about characters and why, if you grab a bag of snacks, you are probably a pigeon: My Children’s Book of the Month …
My Mum is a Lioness at Big DoG
Thank you so much to everyone who tuned in for some My Mum is a Lioness fun. There was stretching… And making… And a reading too! It was the first time I was reading My Mum is a Lioness for a festival and I couldn’t have been more pleased that it was for the Big DoG Children’s Book festival.
World Book Day with DRAKE the Bookshop
Thank you to DRAKE the Bookshop for inviting me to be part of their World Book Day extravaganza. I kicked off the day of author events, with a reading of My Mum is a Lioness. This was the first time I was reading the book at an event, made all the more special by the fact that it’s only a couple of days …
Children’s Writer in Residence: Week 6
It’s my sixth week as the University of Otago College of Education Creative New Zealand Children’s Writer in Residence and I thought I’d let you know what I’ve been up to in my latest video. Find out about how I plan a novel, why writing is like Pringles and why the heck I’m making this face: My Children’s Book of …
The My Mum is a Lioness Blog Tour
This week the ‘My Mum is a Lioness‘ Blog Tour kicks off! Check out the incredible star-studded blogger line up and make sure you follow them to find out more about the book. Thank you so much to Get Kids Into Books, Kate Poels, The Kids Bookstagrammer, Paper Ren, Edspire, The Book Deli, Bookbound and Raising Small Readers for joining …
Happy World Book Day!
Happy World Book Day to you all! However you are spending the day, whether it is in costume, reading books, writing stories or listening to a tale – I hope you have the most brilliant day. Thank you to everyone who has shared their brilliant costumes with me. It’s incredibly special to seeing your books being enjoyed so please do …
Afternoon Tea at the Library
Thank you so much to everyone who came along to join the children’s writers afternoon tea at the library. Unlike previous potluck gatherings, it was masks and table service but thanks to Jackie and Trish the afternoon was just as much fun as always. It was wonderful to talk to everyone about my fellowship at the university and again I …
Happy My Mum is a Lioness Day!
It’s publication day for My Mum is a Lioness! Our first review is in and it’s a roarsome one Pam Norfolk at the Lancashire Post. If you spot My Mum is a Lioness in the wild, do send me a picture – I would love to know where she is roaming in the world.
My first day as Children’s Writer in Residence
It’s 2022 and I’m starting the year as University of Otago College of Education Creative New Zealand Children’s Writer in Residence. As I took a stroll across the beautiful campus towards my office, it was hard not to feel overwhelmed. The roll call of previous Fellows reads like a list of Aotearoa New Zealand literary royalty. But when I met …