5 Books About Dragons to Read with the Family.

If you have been following my writing journey for some time now, then you’ll probably know I have a fascination not only for dinosaurs, but for Dragons too. I recently wrote two previous posts on dragons, Dragon's in Children's Stories and Are Dragons Related to Dinosaurs?

With my picture book ‘Dragons Drumming’ becoming one step closer to reality, I thought today we would take a quick look at 5 Books About Dragons to Read with the Family. Each of these books are on my bookshelf and have been family favourites.

The Dragon’s Egg - Written by Diana Noonan, illustrated by Gabriela Klepatski -

Is a picture book that we have had since its release in 1992. It was a favourite with my boys when they were little and now is repeated aloud many times over to my grandchildren. With it’s lyrical rhyme and meter, the story takes two children on a fun and slightly scary adventure when they find an enormous egg and decide to take it home. They are soon to learn the secret of what lies within and how many days it takes to hatch a dragon from its egg.

Picture Book - The Dragon’s Egg, has been a much loved story to read aloud in our house.

A page from the picture book The Dragon’s Egg.

Dancing With Dragons - Written by Amy Dunjey, illustrated by Jesus Lopez -

Is an absolutely stunning picture book published by Larrikin House in 2020. The illustrations are vibrant and inviting as two gorgeous dragons dance in the woods. When a little girl discovers them both, she is asked to judge their dance competition. Kids adore the fun and awesome dance routines in this rhyming tale of adventure and friendship.

Picture Book - Dancing with Dragons published by Larrikin House

One of the many gorgeous and vibrant illustrations inside the pages of Dancing with Dragons

Dragonology, the Complete Book of Dragons -

Published by Five Mile Press in 2003, and edited by Dugald A Steer, this book is a magnificent compilation that for all purposes looks like a non-fiction picture book resembling an encyclopedia of everything you would ever need to know about dragons. From where in the world to find dragons to all the many different species both Eastern and Western. This book even includes an Australian own marsupial dragon species that resembles a kangaroo with tiny wings and breathes a bluish fire. Perfect for your little budding scientist or historian, this book has all the information on dragons they could ever look for.

Dragonology - The Complete Book of Dragons is a fascinating ‘non-fiction’ like picture book.

information on the marsupial dragon on one of the pages inside Dragonology- The Complete Book of Dragons.

Dragon Skin - by Karen Foxlee -

Published by Allen and Unwin in 2021, this fabulous book is for your middle-grade readers. Set in outback Queensland in an old mining town, the story evolves around a young girl who discovers a baby dragon dying in an almost dry riverbed. As the story develops she learns to save the dragon, helping it grow with plenty of love, nurturing and friendship. It is a heart-warming tale that is also surprising and full of hope. I can’t recommend this book enough. It was so good, I couldn’t put it down and even my husband, (who never reads fiction) read it in only a couple of days.

Dragon Skin is a heart-warming unputdownable middle-grade beautiful story. Published by Allen & Unwin.

The blurb on the back of Dragon Skin to help tempt you to read it.

Eragon- by Christopher Paolini -

Originally self-published in 2002, this epic fantasy adventure is best suited for the upper range of middle-grade to young adult. My boys all read it in their early teens. Eragon is the first book in the Inheritance series that will captivate you with its galloping tale of action-filled adventure. When a teenage boy finds a beautiful blue gemstone, it is soon revealed to be a dragon’s egg. Once hatched, the boy and dragon become good friends and the boy learns to become a dragon-rider and sets out on an adventure like no other. Complete with the complexities of Norse, Anglo-Saxon, German and even Russian myths and language, it has an old world charm that will delight fantasy lovers. If you enjoy the book, you might also enjoy watching the movie (2006) if you can find it streaming somewhere.

Eragon, the first book in the Inheritance series, and well read in our house.

Eldest is the second book in the inheritance series, also well read in our house.

Bonus: How to Train Your Dragon, by Cressida Cowell -

First published in 2003, this book has been reprinted many times and has also been made into a movie. This is one of my favourite dragon stories as it fills me with warm memories reading it to my kindergarten class in 2005. As a chapter book I read this out loud every lunchtime while my class ate. It captured not only their attention but imagination. Many a time, we would reach the end of a chapter and they would beg me to continue reading. The antics of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock 111, his dragon (Toothless) and his Viking clan had them in uproarious laughter as anything that could go wrong, inevitably did. Sadly I seem to have misplaced this much loved book, (I’ve probably leant it to someone and it’s not been returned.) If your kids haven’t read it, get it, they’ll love it.

As for my picture book, Dragons Drumming, I can’t wait to share it with you. I hope to reveal the cover sometime this week. I have seen all the adorable illustrations and they are just magical. Dragons Drumming will help your little ones overcome there fear of thunderstorms as they orchestrate a glorious symphony of dragons playing percussion in the clouds.

Do you have a favourite dragon story that you remember reading as a child?

Is there a dragon story that your kids or grandkids love to read over and over again.?

Please share them in the comments below.

Five Fascinating Animals of Tasmania

This past month I have been steadily working away on the back matter for book four of the Adamson Adventures.

Yes, it’s been a long time in between book 3 and four, but I hope it’s worth the wait.

I don’t want to say too much about it just yet, except that I plan to release it in June next year. There’s still much to do before then.

For this one, besides drawing a map as usual, which helps the reader see where the story is set, I decided to include illustrations and information about each animal that is mentioned in the story. I’m no illustrator, but I do like to give drawing a try, so I have been brave to attempt these myself and share them with you now. I also shared them one at a time each day on my Instagram and Facebook pages, but in case you missed any of them, here they are all in one place.

Thylacine

No story set in Tasmania would be complete unless it included the Thylacine, (Tasmanian Tiger). Presumed extinct since 1936 when the last one died in captivity in a Hobart zoo, I like to imagine that this elusive carnivorous marsupial is still hidden out in the vast, thick wilderness somewhere. Will the Adamson kids find one in their next adventure? If you've read any of their previous adventures, you know anything is possible.

 The Tassie Tiger was hunted into extinction by farmers who saw it as a threat to their livestock. Now the Thylacine is being hunted for a different reason. Today people search in the hope that it does still exist out there somewhere. As it was the largest apex predator in Tasmania the Thylacine has left a huge gap in the balance of the forest ecosystem. Today the largest predator is the Tasmania Devil which cannot compare in size. Researchers are trying to use DNA samples to bring back the Thylacine and reintroduce it into the wilderness in the hope that it will restore the balance of life and reduce and control the populations of kangaroos and wallabies.

Thylacine image courtesy of Australian Geographic archives.

My sketch of the Thylacine, commonly known as the Tasmanian Tiger.

Tasmanian Devil

Below is a Tasmanian Devil, a nocturnal, carnivorous marsupial that prefers to scavenge for its food rather than hunt. They have very sharp claws and teeth and make incredibly loud raspy screams when they fight. Have you ever seen one in the wild or in a zoo? Last year when we visited Tasmania, we were lucky to catch a glimpse of two devils in the wild. I couldn’t take a photo, they disappeared into the bush very fast when they saw us.

However, it was an amazing experience to see them in the wild. I have only ever seen them in a zoo before. These little critters are listed as endangered with numbers depleting quickly due to a cancerous facial tumour which has been spreading fast throughout the population in the wild. Fortunately, there is a conservation breeding program happening on the Australian mainland in the mountains of northern NSW. called Devil Ark, where the increasing numbers of devils are enjoying the similarities in vegetation and climate to Tasmania without any threat from disease.

Tasmanian Devil in the wild.

My sketch of the Tasmanian Devil.

Spotted Quoll

The Spotted-Tail Quoll, also known as the Tiger Quoll, is a relative of the Tasmanian Devil and the Tasmanian Tiger. Like his relatives he is also a nocturnal carnivorous marsupial. He may look cute, but watch out for those very sharp teeth. Quolls can be found on mainland Australia, where they are listed as endangered. while so far in Tasmania they are listed as vulnerable. There is only a population of around 14,000 quolls left throughout Australia.

Their numbers have drastically reduced due to introduced predators such as foxes and feral cats, deforestation from logging, land clearing for housing development and natural bushfires.

Spotted Quoll - WWF Australia

My sketch of the Spotted Quoll

Pademelon

The cute little Tasmanian Pademelon is much like a kangaroo or wallaby but smaller. It has a shorter neck and a thicker, rounder body. Pademelons can be found in the rainforests all around Tasmania and throughout the mainland even as far north as Papua New Guinea.. We encountered several during our bushwalks and even outside our cabin door at Cradle Mountain.

They live in thick damp forests but will come out into clearings to feed in the evenings. However with regular land clearing we are continually reducing their chances of survival. Pademelons are usually solitary creatures, but will forage at night in groups. An interesting fact about these little fellows is that when startled, a pademelon will thump his foot, (much like the rabbit, Thumper from the Bambi movie) to alarm the rest of the group to hop back to the safety of the thick forest.

I took this photo of a pademelon just outside our cabin at Cradle Mountain,

My sketch of a Pademelon.

Wombat

The Common Wombat is in abundance throughout Australia, however the Southern and Northern Hairy Nose Wombat are much more declined in numbers. Wombats found in Tasmania are smaller than common wombats and their fur is much thicker and softer than the wiry fur of a common wombat.

Did you know that these herbivorous marsupials have a backwards pouch? This is to protect their joey from the dirt that spays up as they dig their burrow. Wombats are one of my favourite Australian animals, we even have one that has made its home under a container at the back of our house. If the opening to the burrow gets any bigger, I fear our container will fall in! Wombat burrows are usually closer to creek beds and water sources, but in years when rain is plentiful, they will move further away.

A fun fact that I recently learnt is that wombats glow in the dark when you shine a UV light on them. Scientists suspect the reason for this bio luminescence is so that wombats can see each other in the dark and know when it is safe to come closer to a fellow wombat instead of another animal that they would prefer to keep at a distance.

Southern Hairy-Nose Wombat

My sketch of a wombat

Stay tuned for more information next month on the birds that are also in book 4 of the Adamson Adventures.

I enjoy adding fact and information pages to the back of my stories. It helps curious young readers learn and hopefully encourages them to research further. Did you learn something new today?

What is your favourite Australian animal?

What Will You Choose to Read Aloud?

As an Australia Reads Ambassador I am proud to announce that Australian Reading Hour is coming very soon, in fact it’s on the 9th March!

While you can choose to read quietly to yourself, why not share the experience with a loved family member, friend, class or colleague. The time of day doesn’t really matter, it’s just a chance to stop and contemplate and hopefully help make reading a part of your daily routine.

What will you choose to read aloud?

Naturally your choice of book or other reading material will depend on your audience, that is, the person you choose to spend the hour reading with.

Below are a few options to help you on your way.

Babies

Board books are always great for little ones. They can’t do too much damage to the pages as they try to turn them every which way. Board books are also quick and easy for that short attention span.

They are often concept books to help bub explore and make sense of the world around them. Books on colours, shapes, farm animals, vehicles and transport, fruit and vegetables, the list goes on and on.

These often have only one word and picture to each page, but some may have several words and pictures for your little one to point to. This also helps make it more interactive as you discuss each picture on the page.

Toddlers

They still love their concept board books, but are sometimes ready for books that Jen Storer terms contories. Books with basic concepts but also include a bit of a story. For those of you who don’t know this marvellous women, Jen is an amazing author, coach and chief inspirationalist that runs the incredible writers group The Duck Pond.

One of my favourite board books that could be called a contory is The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. With days of the week, food and the life cycle of a butterfly, you can’t go wrong.

Another favourite that I love reading and sharing, is Wibble Wobble, written by Jen Storer and Illustrated by Lisa Stewart. ‘Filled with the joyful moments of a toddler’s day as they discover and explore their world, this is a book guaranteed to become a firm family favourite.’

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle in board book format

Wibble Wobble by Jen Storer and Lisa Stewart

Pre-Schoolers

By the time your child is 3 - 5 years, they are ready for rhyming picture books. These are essential for the growth of language and comprehension. Rhyming picture books are ideal for learning about word play, patterns and prediction. As you read aloud with your pre-schooler, they can guess the rhyming word and ‘begin to read.’ The pictures often help these predictions as well.

‘Oi Frog!,’ written by Kes Gray and illustrated by Jim Field, is a great example of a simple rhyming picture book that pre-schoolers adore. Frog doesn’t want to sit on a log, and asks what other animals may sit on, such as cat sits on a mat, hares sit on chairs, mules sit on stools and gophers sit on sofas. My grandson loves to shout out the rhyming word as soon as I say the animal.

Oi Frog! by Kes Gray and Jim Field

The Early School Years

Kids 4 - 6 years are ready for prose picture books. Books with a story line, an over-aching problem to be resolved. They are still learning about the world around them but that world is beginning to expand outside of the home. There are so many delightful picture books written for this age, it would be difficult for me to name just one favourite.

Picture books can still be read to kids of all ages, especially 6 -8 and even up to 12 years. I have read picture books to classes from Kindergarten to year 6. With a little thought it is amazing what type of lesson and enjoyment you can find from a fun read aloud session.

Sometimes your reader may be looking for something non-fiction and there are picture books to cover these too. CSIRO Publishing have recently released some great picture books. ‘Swoop’ by Nicole Godwinand illustrated by Susannah Crispe is the story of why magpies swoop people during Spring. ‘Wonderful Wasps’ written by Katrina Germein and illustrated by Suzanne Houghton, explores the beauty of our Australian wasps and the significance they play in our environment.

Swoop by Nicole Godwin and Susannah Crispe

Wonderful Wasps By Katrina Germain and Suzanne Houghton

Middle School Readers

Kids by the age of 8 - 12years are becoming confident independent readers but that doesn’t mean you still can’t enjoy reading aloud with them. See my post last month 5 Great Reasons to Read Aloud with Your Tweens

They may still enjoy a good picture book, graphic novel or non-fiction picture book.

‘Camp Canberra’ by Krys Saclier, illustrated by Cathy Wilcox is a fabulous example of a picture book suitable for this age group. It tells the story of things and places to see in and around Canberra through the eyes of a fictional group of school children visiting Canberra on a class trip just like so many kids around Australia do every day.

Camp Canberra by Krys Saclier and Cathy Cox

There are also an abundance of junior fiction books out there with lots of black and white illustrations to help your reader along the way. The ‘Aussie Kids Collection,’ published by Penguin Random House Australia, are great early readers and ESL resources. Each book in the series tells the story of a child in one of the States of Australia and is written and illustrated by people who live in that area. For example, ‘Meet Matilda At the Festival,’ is set here in Canberra and written by Canberra author Jacqueline de rose-Ahernand illustrated by fellow Canberran Tania McCartney. But if you really want to expand their reading level, chapter books like my own Adamson Adventures without illustrations, will help extend their confidence to try lengthier, thicker middle-grade novels.

Aussie Kids, great early readers.

Novels such as ‘The Riddle of Tanglewood Manor,’ by Tracey Hawkins, is a wonderful time-slip adventure (just like Fossil Frenzy the Adamson Adventures 3), but in this story the children are taken only as far back as country NSW in 1920.

The Riddle of Tanglewood Manor by Tracey Hawkins

Fossil Frenzy the Adamson Adventures 3

Young Adult

By the time your children reach their teen years they are looking to explore many different genres. From Contemporary to Science Fiction, and Dystopian. Reading aloud with your teen allows you the opportunity to introduce a genre they may not have considered or a topic you might like to open for discussion.

One book I very much enjoyed was ‘Emergency Rescue Angel,; by Cate Whittle. It deals with the complications of life for a teenager after facing the tragedy of the sudden loss of his father who died trying to save the life of a local kid who was drowning in the surf. This book handles the topic gently and insightfully with a little help from a not so typical angel.

Emergency Rescue Angel by Cate Whittle

Above and Beyond YA.

Books can be shared and read aloud no matter the age. Whether in paper back or e-book format, fiction or non-fiction. You may even want to read aloud current affairs, history, science or even geography. The list is endless. You may even like to read to an elderly member of the family who has lost their sight or to someone in a nursing home.

Whatever you decide, I hope this list has been helpful and encourages you to take an hour sometime on the 9th March to read aloud with someone special in your life. There are also events happening around Australia that you may like to join. Check out the events in your local area at book shops, schools and libraries.

Here in the ACT there is Toddler Reading Time in Green Square Kingston, hosted by The Book Cow. Toddler Reading Time

If you prefer something online, ‘The Magic of Storytelling’ is being streamed live from the Sydney Opera House from 11:00 am. The Magic of Storytelling

What and who will you be reading with for an hour?

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5 Great Reasons to Read Aloud With Your Tweens.

We all know the benefits of reading aloud to our babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers, but what about our tweens? Once our kids begin to read independently we often forget to continue reading with them.

As World Read Aloud Day was this week, I thought I would delve a little deeper into the joys of reading aloud, especially with our older children.

But first, what exactly do we mean by tween?

The definition of a tween.

Tweens are the age group that is our 8 - 12 year old readers. They have not only become independent readers, but are wanting to become more independent of their parents. They are in middle-school where hormones start to kick in just before puberty, which also means they want to explore the world and socialising away from family constraints before facing the challenges that come with adolescence. .They are in that awkward stage where they no longer perceive themselves as children, but are not yet teenagers either.

If our tweens are trying to establish their independence from their parents, then why should we still read aloud to them? Do they even want us to?
In summary, here’s 6 great reasons we should still be reading aloud with them. However I am only going to discuss 5 of these reasons, as hopefully you have already ‘created a life-long love of reading’ while they were younger.

Reading Aloud to Kids.

Builds Empathy

Tweens are ready to read more substantial books with more character development, plot twists and adventure. It is through reading theses stories that our tweens are able to explore the world around them, their feelings and emotions. By developing empathy for a character they are able to ‘try-on’ ideas and concepts and it all happens within the safe confines of home or the classroom. Sharing these stories aloud encourages discussion and promotion of developing an understanding for empathy.

Reading builds empathy.

Reading strengthens empathy muscles.

Improves Language and Listening Skills.

When reading aloud with your tween, you can introduce books with vocabulary that is a level higher than your tween can read on their own. It’s an opportunity to improve understanding of new words and concepts and increases comprehension skills. Gradually they will feel more confident to read more complex stories independently.

Even a tween can still have problems sitting still to read, especially when their are so many distractions coming at them from every direction. Reading aloud with them over a meal or snack can be a great way to encourage listening and before you know it, they are so engrossed in the story they have sat still and quietly longer than expected. This also helps improve concentration for other studies and work habits.

Reading aloud build vocabulary.

Facilitates Important and/or Difficult Conversations.

As a teacher or parent we often come across subjects that we wish to discuss that may feel difficult or awkward. Our tween, is also reaching that point where they too, are asking those difficult questions. Reading a book together can help bridge the gap and ease into a difficult conversation without feeling uncomfortable as you discuss the characters and situations in the story. Some of these topics may be around, death, divorce, alcohol, drugs, sex, social media/internet use etc. Both non-fiction and fiction books can be great tools for broaching these subjects. If you are looking for a specific topic a librarian will be able to help you. On Facebook, I belong to a group called Your Kids Next Read where parents often ask for suggestions.

In this link How to use books to spark important conversations you will find helpful questions to use when reading aloud with your tween.

Thank you to Young Book Love for providing this useful blog post.

Activates and Empowers Imagination.

Stories can take us to other places around the world, in the past, present and future. They can also take us to new or other worlds of science fiction, dystopian and inter-planetary. In reading these books, we explore, develop and stretch our imagination. It encourages us to flex our brain muscles to foster our own creativity. Through imagination and creativity grows innovation. As our tweens expand their imagination they become more curious and think outside of the box. From the imagination of a tween comes the discoveries and inventions of our future.

Is Fun.

It goes without saying that reading together aloud is fun for all the family. It is a time to come together and share, bond, comfort and enjoy each others company. Through reading aloud we can laugh and experience the world around us together. Use silly voices, vary the tone to increase suspense and include plenty of expression to make the experience fun and entertaining. We can introduce new genres that your tween may not have otherwise tried and we become wonderful role-models to continue to demonstrate and foster the love of reading that we began when our tweens were little.

My own middle-grade series The Adamson Adventures are a great place to start reading aloud to your young tween. They are packed full with fun, adventure, entertainment, historical information and opportunities for learning and developing a love of reading through exciting imagination. A few months ago, I had the pleasure of meeting a tween that was excited to meet the author of this series. He said he had bought Fossil Frenzy and loved it so much that he then went back and read the other two. They gave him the confidence boost he needed to begin reading longer books that he previously found too daunting and challenging. His parent started by reading the books aloud with him until his confidence grew. If he could do it, so can you.

Have I covered all the aspects of reading aloud with your tween?

Can you think of anything I may have missed?

Please leave a comment below.

The thrilling middle-grade series The Adamson Adventures by Sandra Bennett.

What Makes A Successful School Visit?

I have been doing author school visits off an on for almost ten years now. Each time I do one, I learn something new that helps improve how smoothly they run.

School visits have been fairly scarce over the last couple of years due to Covid-19 restrictions, but just last month, I had the pleasure of finally being back in a school for a half day visit. This had been much anticipated as it had been postponed several times. The original year 3 cohort that I had been invited to speak with are now in year 5. Sadly I didn’t get to have a session with them, however I was delighted to have a visit with several of them during their recess break. It was lovely to chat with theses kids not only about one of my books but all three in the Adamson series and why they enjoyed them so much. One of the young girls was quite articulate and explained that she believed they were so good because the plots were full of twists and turns and they had great character development. I thought that was great insight and high praise from an 11 year old reader.

So what have I learned that helps make school visits successful?

Plenty of Planning and Preparation.

As a former teacher I have always made sure I take the time to plan the lesson. But not all children’s authors have a teaching background. That makes it all the more important to carefully plan your day. Kids naturally can’t sit still for too long, which makes it even more important to be as engaging as you possibly can. If you do your prep, the more likely the session will run smoothly for you, the kids and the teachers.

Send a poster announcing your upcoming visit so that the kids will get excited. Send in a pre-order form with your website listed so that kids and their parents can view your books beforehand and make an informed decision.

If you are planning on a slide-show presentation, forward it via email or google docs to the teacher so that they have it on file on their computer. Also, make sure you have a thumb drive back-up just in case. I have also been known to have a printed copy just in case the techy stuff goes wrong on the day.

Author School visit St Claire of Assisi

Author visit St Claire of Assisi

Organisation and liaison with the school and teacher.

Keep an open correspondence with both the organising teacher and if possible the school administration officer. Ask the teacher what they might be hoping to gain out of the visit? Is there something they would like you to discuss that fits into the current curriculum guidelines that they are working on?

This recent visit was with a Year 2 cohort who are studying Indonesian, so the teacher was reading Secrets Hidden Below with them. I was able to give them more in-depth information on Bali along with photos I took during my last visit to Indonesia in 2019. I naturally incorporated some Bahasa Indonesia language learning as well.

At a visit to a school last year where I was asked to do sessions which each year level, K through 6, I was asked to incorporate writing activities that fitted in with core curriculum literacy skills. I was able to incorporate all my books instead of focussing on just one.

My biggest takeaway from this most recent experience was the importance of the admin officer, particularly if you plan to send a book order form in before the visit. It was this wonderful lady that suggested I add my bank transfer details to my order form so that parents could transfer electronically their payment directly to my account rather than the school and myself on the day needing to handle cash. This worked brilliantly as I then had an idea of the number of books I would need to take along with me on the day. Added to this, this amazing woman went above and beyond expectations and sent me a spreadsheet with children’s names. whether they paid via bank transfer or cash and which books they ordered. This meant I could pre-sign copies of my books and easily have them ready to hand out on the day.

Variation in activities during the session.

As mentioned earlier, variation is key to a successful school visit. Never plan to just talk for an hour or just read your book and leave it at that. Kids and teachers expect more, especially when they are paying you for your time. You are there to entertain, enlighten and engage. While activity sheets are always useful, I find kids get so much more out of a session if you get them moving. Games are fantastic for ice-breakers, those moments when kids begin to get restless or fidget in the middle and are a fabulous way to wrap up at thee end.

For this recent visit with the Indonesian classes I found a couple of Indonesian games to teach and play with them. Then added a Heads and Tails game near the end. It’s like true and false but sit with hands on heads if they think the answer is true, or stand up and put their hands on their tales if they think the answer is false. Kids have a lot of fun with this one, and you and the teacher can see who has been truly listening.

When I have done visits with Fossil Frenzy, I have also added a couple of dinosaur songs for the kids to learn and sing-a-long. Doesn’t matter if you can’t hold a tune, I certainly can’t, just be brave a go with the flow.

Author Visit Chapman PS, engage kids through movement and games

Author visit Chapman PS engage through movement and games

Make sure you allow time for Q & A somewhere towards the end, kids will ask the most incredible questions. Sometimes about your books, sometimes about you, be prepared for anything but remember you don’t have to answer everything, especially when someone asks the inevitable ‘How old are you?’

Lastly, remember to relax and have fun. Kids are always fascinated to have an author come and visit their school, they will be so excited to meet you.

Have you ever done author school visits?

Was there something you learned from your experience that I haven’t mentioned but others would find helpful?

Is there anything you still want to know that you didn’t find here?

Ask me any questions or leave a comment below. I would be happy to answer.

What I Have Learnt As A Writer That Can Also Help you.

If there is one thing I have learned over all the years I have been writing, it is as Aristotle is famous for saying - ‘The more you know, the more you know you don’t know.’

A quote from Aristotle that is apt in all that we learn. Thanks to azquotes for this image.

I admit I have gained some worthwhile knowledge in my writerly journey but there is always so much more out there to learn and share. Here are a few tips that I now know and wish I new earlier.

When writing a blog post, make it helpful to the reader.

Mix it up a little.

Write posts that will help readers gain information. They will be more interested to read further if you assist in their learning about something of their interest. Pique interest with anecdotes about yourself but don’t make it all about you. Even in my earliest blogs I wrote about topics to help others.

In one of my original blogs back in 2013 I wrote about the Classic Middle Child Syndrome

While it was an attempt to discuss the characters in my first self-published book Gingerbread Aliens, it was also a way of helping my readers understand the differences of each sibling in their family and the importance of treating each sibling as unique individuals.

The next post was also an attempt to help families with a light-hearted look at our neighbours and how to live in a community together without living in each others pockets. Curiosity Killed the Cat

Looking back on these, I realised I started off my blog writing journey in the right manner, but somehow lost my way for a while and forgot this important message. Today I now know the importance of making sure I am focussed on my reader. If I were to write these now, I would have written them slightly differently. I should have used my characters as examples to make my point after my discussion, not the other way around.

Gingerbreadaliens can be found here

Dot points/Headers and links.

Readers like to scroll.

Remember your reader is often time poor and will only glance at your post. You need to give them a reason to pause and read further. Dot points and headers draw attention to the point you are making.

Embedded links are important for your SEO. They provide pathways to help reach a larger audience.

You can see in the two above early blog posts that I neglected to do either of these.

Photos/Images.

Images whether they are your own or found online are another way to help your reader pause and consider what you have to say. Add links to the original source if it doesn’t belong to you and make sure it isn’t copyright bound.

Publishing Takes Time.

While Gingerbread Aliens was the first book I self-published, it was not the first story I wrote.

I remember my first ever piece I had published was a poem I wrote when I was sixteen. It won a state-wide writing competition and was published in a magazine. I was so proud of that piece, yet after all of these years I have no record of it. I do not have the original hand written poem, nor do I have a copy of the magazine publication. I have written to NSW RSL in hope that they may have had it archived, but had no luck in receiving a response. My advice here, is to always keep a copy of your writing, you never know when you might want to revisit it.

A Good Story Needs to Percolate.

It can take a long time from original idea to publication.

When I first wrote Secrets Hidden Below it began with a different title, - ‘The Map, the Cave and the Volcano.’ At that stage I thought it was ready for publication and even found some interest with publishers. Sadly it didn’t make it through acquisitions , which was probably a good thing as I eventually made many improvements to the original story. Not knowing anything about self-publishing back then, I had a handful printed through Officeworks and gave copies to my family members. I am glad that is all I did , as I allowed it to sit in a drawer for years while I learnt more about the craft of writing and eventually produced a story that was traditionally published and won a shortlisted award in the Australian Speech Pathology Awards 2019. My patience, persistence and commitment paid off in the end.

Don’t rush your story, allow it to take time to germinate properly, edit and rewrite until you can make it the best story you can. Then have a professional editor help you. Never be afraid to ask for help and be prepared to listen to advice.

A copy of my original story, “The Map, The Cave and The Volcano.’ that finally became Secrets Hidden Below

You can find more information about Secrets Hidden Below here.

I am sure there is so much more I could share, but another thing I have learned is not to make my blog posts too long.

I hope you have found this not only interesting, but helpful too.

What is one particular thing that stands out to you that you have learnt over the years. Please comment below.

To read more about what some other authors have learnt since their early days writing, please click on the links below.

3 Ways Writing Made Me a Better Person by Julie Gorges

What I've Learned as a Writer by Rosie Russell