What inspired you to become a children’s author and how did you get started? Any special courses, teachers, authors or books that motivated or encouraged you?
I always wanted to be an Author and write my own books. As a teacher, I read a lot of children’s books and there have been times I was looking for books on certain topics and couldn’t find them. It sparked ideas for me to write books myself for children using those ideas. It wasn’t until I went through difficult times in my own life with chronic health issues, that I found the importance of going back to doing things I loved doing. Writing was one of those things. I am a creative soul, so I realised how important it was for me to be creative and to put my creativity to good use. I was born with congenital heart disease, along with many other health issues. When my daughters were born with the same issues and spent lots of time at the children’s hospital, I was inspired to write children’s books for children’s charities. It gave me motivation and purpose to give back. Three of my books, I have written for children’ charities and I am proud to support Perth Children’s Hospital, Ronald McDonald House Perth and Hearts Kids WA.
I love to write about dogs, as they are my favourite animal and I believe children relate well to dogs in stories. All my children’s books have a dog character in them!
Tell us about your writing process? Do you plan everything out, write the story as you go or do a bit of both?
I am often inspired to write a book on a topic at the most inconvenient times. I often wake up in the middle of the night with an idea and write the notes on my phone. I then like to brainstorm and plan ideas out on paper and then start typing away on the computer. I think I need to write when I am inspired as creativity doesn’t always flow freely. So I have to just go with the inspiration. I can write a story fairly quickly when I am in the zone. My Aqua Dog books I wrote in a day!
Name a few positive effects that literature plays in enriching children’s lives?
I think reading and literature is imperative to a child’s imagination and hope. Growing up, I developed a love for literature and reading from Roald Dahl books. I absolutely loved his stories as they were funny and imaginative with a lovely moral. He is still my favourite Author, along with my favourite book Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom. I believe literature can help shape us and who we become. I think in today’s world full of technology, we face challenges of getting literature to enrich a child’s life because not many are reading books like they used to. Devices have taken over our lives! I believe libraries are the centre of a school and community libraries the centre of the community. It is sad to see many libraries disappearing. My father would take me to the library every week, as this is where I developed my love for literature. I hold hope that as people realise that as much as technology has brought the world together, it has made many of us feel more alone than ever. Mental Health issues across the world are the highest they have ever been, including in children. It is through books and personal stories that people feel connected, so I believe literature is the key to enriching children’s lives for the positive.
