Welcome!
Hi. I’m an author based in Fremantle, Western Australia, whose tales for middle readers blend adventure and mystery with a lot of laughs. I also write poetry for younger people and stories for older people. The Australian Book Review has described my style as ‘smart, funny and insightful’ — jolly kind of them! I’ve a PhD in Creative Writing and love exploring the wonders of words and imagination. Aside from writing creatively, I edit, review and give presentations. Click around for more about my books, workshops and how to reach me; also for teaching notes, games and a few writing tips.
What’s the scoop?
- It’s a delight to have a poem in If I Could Eat the Stars, the follow-up to Right Way Down – the hit poetry collection for 9-12 year olds. Thanks and congratulations to Rebecca M. Newman and Sally Murphy (editors) and to Briony Stewart for her artwork. ‘These are poems to tickle your funny bone, make your belly rumble and keep you up at night,’ says Fremantle Press, co-publishers with Alphabet Soup Books.
- For a while now, I’ve been head-down on a novel for older readers, set largely around the wild southern coast of the state. Big thanks to the WA Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries for its belief and generous financial support.
- That screen deal? People often ask and, yes, it’s still very much alive! In March ’26, I re-signed with film-maker Chloe Gardner, now of Arterial Films. It’s as tough to get from screen rights to screen as to be published in the first place. But things are looking good for Arterial Films to bring the Riddle Gully gang to a wider audience.
- The 2018 Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival was a wondrous experience (and where I met Chloe Gardner). The value placed on culture and education in the emirate shone in the many beautiful museums, mosques, souks, schools, parks, archaeological sites and pathways by peaceful lagoons.
Young readers maintain their secret identities with the first Riddle Gully Secrets installment in The West Australian newspaper.
