In no particular order, and interspersed with photos from the week:

• The Year 1 student who raised their hand after we read All Bodies are Good Bodies. “I love my heart because of all the love in it.” MY heart melted!

• The Year 4 student who audibly gasped every time I asked a question during a story brainstorm session, shooting their hand in the air at lightning speed and practically dislocating their shoulder with enthusiasm.

• Occasional exhaustion.

• Seeing my son’s face light up when the teacher said he could help me set up for the presentation at my kid’s school. (I’ll be holding onto that one for the next ten years, I think.)

• Two birds that caused havoc by swooping into the hall midway through my presentation, and possibly pooping on the stage

• Creative writing workshop with 3,000 kids!! Yes - 3,000! (Virtual )

  

• One mum sending me a photo of her daughter, dressed as Patsy from 11 Ruby Road: 1950. Last year, her daughter dressed as Dorothy from 11 Ruby Road: 1900. It was too sweet!

• My son, diligently crafting a Tomnyan mask every afternoon, to wear for his school’s Book Week parade. The same son, refusing to go to school because he was worried what others would think of his homemade costume. (That was a high and low wrapped in one. We did eventually make it to school :) )

• Lonely school lunches in empty school halls.

• Michelle Nye’s orange cake. (A lovely TL on the Sunny Coast). Delicious!

• Being sent to the principal’s office after my final presentation…

Happy Book Week 2026!!!

He, like so many in the Australian children’s literature industry, also happens to be well-known around the traps as a genuinely lovely person AND wearer of funky hats.

Best of all, he kindly agreed to answer a handful of questions for my newsletter. So, here goes…

1. You have written over 20 books for children, including your most recent title, Kid, a novel about a young goat who discovers the meaning of family. Your earlier novels, The Elephant, My Brother Ben and Leo and Ralph are all tender portrayals of childhood. What was life like for you, as a kid? (Side note - did you have a pet goat?)

2. Reading one of your novels feels like a warm hug. What are your tips for creating characters that resonate with readers?

3. As well as being an author/illustrator, I understand you’re a talented musician too! What do you do when you’re not writing/illustrating/playing guitar?

4. Why write for kids?

5. Pick your favourite:

6. You have a magic wand and sticky glue. What’s one thing you’d change about the children’s literature industry and one thing you’d keep the same?

It is indeed.

Thanks for your time, Peter! You can find out more about Peter and his books at www.petercarnavas.com

Until next time, happy reading, writing and creating,

Charlotte

I first met Karen at a writing workshop in Brisbane ten years ago. After her inspiring workshop she signed my precious copy of Lenny’s Book of Everything. (Essential reading if you haven’t come across it. Just look at all those stickers!)

I’ve since crossed paths with Karen at a number of writing festivals and book launches. I was chuffed when she dropped in at my 11 Ruby Road: 1950 book launch last year (and if I remember correctly, was even brave enough to sit in the front row). And I was even more delighted when she agreed to be my first interviewee.

Without further ado, please enjoy 5 minutes with Karen Foxlee.

1. I understand you were a keen writer as a kid, growing up in Mt Isa. What were your favourite books to read as a child?

2. You worked as a nurse for many years, before turning your hand to writing. They seem like disparate careers, but I’m sure there are many cross-over skills. How has nursing influenced your writing?

3. Lenny’s Book of Everything is one of my favourite books of all time. You have a mastery of creating heartfelt scenes and characters. From a reader’s viewpoint, your writing seems effortless but I’m sure there’s a lot of hard work behind it. If you feel a character or scene isn’t working, what’s your process for strengthening it?

4. Why write for kids?

5. Pick your favourite:

5. You have a magic wand and sticky glue. What’s one thing you’d change about the children’s literature industry and one thing you’d keep the same?

Thank you Karen! You can find out more about Karen and her wonderful books at www.karenfoxlee.com

Until next time, happy reading, writing and creating,

Charlotte

It was a delightful few days. These are some of my takeaways:

1. Librarians are the best.

   I did know this already, and I’ve worked with many incredible teacher-librarians over the past decade, but this was one of the first events where I worked directly with a public librarian. Annie-Jo from Quilpie library coordinated the whole program, and did an amazing job. She organised a community event and two school sessions, welcoming P-6 students from Quilpie State School and St Finny’s into the library space. She also drove me out to Eromanga State School (Queensland’s dinosaur country AND the town that’s furthest from the ocean, apparently) for a session there. Not only did she organise all the logistics, with limited flights between Quilpie and Brisbane, on the first day she kindly picked me up from Charleville airport (a four-hour return trip), which she insisted ‘wasn’t that far’.

   Thanks for all your efforts, Annie-Jo!

2. Baldy Top is an ambitious morning run.

   12 km return. (I struggled on the way back, not gonna lie.)

3. Small planes are delightful.

   Boarding is super quick in a 30-seat plane. It’s a personable experience, where the pilot stands at the base of the stairs and greets you as you embark and disembark. When we departed from Quilpie, our names were called out, ‘roll-call style’ by the airline staff, with the back row called through first, to make it easy for stowing hand luggage. It was a unique experience!

I flew from Brisbane to Charleville via Roma on the way out, then came back from Quilpie via Charleville and Toowoomba. It was a lot of taking off and landing, safety demonstrations, cups of tea, and beautifully stark Queensland scenery.

And I was only slightly worried when I spotted this out the window of one of the planes...

4. Pubs serve toasted sandwiches.

   After an exhausting whole-school author talk at Eromanga State School, with a grand total of six students, we were famished. There may not be many restaurants in Eromanga, but the local pub did a superb toasted sandwich. Who would’ve thought?

5. Quilpie is a great town,

   I’ll definitely be back.

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In between binge-watching Irish series I’ve also been loving speaking to young readers and writers. Last week I headed to Sydney for three nights; an impromptu trip which came about when I was invited to speak at a 4-day literary festival, was thrilled, organised time off work, then a few days later was advised I was no longer required as the festival had decided to go with someone else. (The delights of author life.)

Since I’d already organised time off work, I decided to make the most of it. I reached out to some contacts in Sydney and organised a couple of school visits and a meeting with my publisher. I got to hang out with friends and family, see proper Autumn leaves and eat lots of delicious food.

It was truly lemonade.

Next (and last) travel for this term will be a quick trip to Quilpie, as part of the Australia Reads LitUp program. This program connects authors and illustrators with schools, libraries and bookstores in Queensland and New South Wales, focussing on regional areas. Australia Reads, supported by Creative Australia, Copyright Agency Cultural Fund and CreateNSW, funds the author or illustrator to travel to the region and run presentations at schools, libraries and bookshops.

While I’m in Quilpie, I’ll be speaking at local schools as well as an evening community presentation at the library. This is an incredible program and I’m so grateful to be part of it. (If you’re in a regional area, you might like to check it out!)

Find out about the program.

After Quilpie, I’ll be hunkering down to mark exams/meet reporting deadlines (and hang out with my beautiful family, of course.) I’m looking forward to a quiet June-July holidays, before Term 3 — Book Term — begins!

I still have lots of speaking availability across Term 3, including a few dates during Book Week itself. If you’re looking for a speaker for your school or library, get in touch. :)

Book me to speak

And that’s all for this time.

Until next time,

Charlotte

It did eventuate. And it was wonderful.

I’d never visiting China before, nor had I travelled solo internationally before. I was nervous. And incredibly excited.

It was one of the best author experiences of my life. It was wonderful to interact with students from another part of the world, and share my love of storytelling further afield. (When we brainstormed story ideas, I discovered that 8-12 year olds in China have exactly the same love of things that explode and toilet humour as Australian students.)

In my downtime, I did as much exploring as I could. I averaged 17,000 steps each day, which was handy to negate all the great food I was consuming. Some days, after school I hopped on a bike and explored the neighbourhood, or took a subway into the city. The metro in Shanghai is exceptional. Fast, clean and easy to navigate. Apple Maps was super handy, specifying exactly where to change lines, which platform I needed, and which exit to take. I highly recommend it if you’re planning a trip to China!

Some of the highlights of the week included:

• a bike tour around the city, including the incredible Fuxin Park, full of people ballroom dancing, singing and playing sport. (With a delicious lunch at the end, of course.)

• the food! I had hot pot with Peter Cheong (an author-illustrator from Perth, who was in Shanghai at the same time) and Xia Long Bao with some of the school staff. Delicious!

• The school’s Book Week assembly. The library staff went to a huge effort to create a joyful celebration of books and reading over the entire week. Each day had a different dress-up theme (including Pyjama Day, where I wore my PJs, along with the library staff). On the final assembly, they held a Masked Reader segment (think Masked Singer) where they played a recording of an unknown staff member reading a book aloud. The students then had to guess out of three possible teachers, who was the Masked Reader. The librarian used my picture book, All Bodies are Good Bodies, as one of the books. It was such fun!

Writing these highlights, I’m still smiling. This is an area of my author work I would LOVE to continue to grow. It was a joy to experience another part of the world, sharing my love for storytelling.

And it’s a joy to be back home, too.

Shanghai, I’ll definitely be back!

I’ve had a few trips over the past month, including speaking engagements on the Gold Coast and Gympie. In Gympie, I visited Kandanga State School, a tiny school with only 30 students from Prep to Year 6. Unfortunately my afternoon session at the Gympie library was cancelled due to the flooding risk at the time. Hopefully I’ll be back in Gympie again soon!

I’ve also had a couple of trips to the Gold Coast in recent weeks. At All Saints Anglican School I ran editing workshops with Year 8 students and historical fiction talks with Year 6. The Year 6 group had just been learning about Federation and the White Australia Policy, so they had a good grasp of the era. (But I still managed to trick them up with my ‘guess the 1900s item’ powerpoint.)

In February I also visited the tiny town of North Arm Cove near Newcastle for a writers’ retreat with my critique group. It was wonderful. Partly for the scenery, partly for the writing time, but mostly for the opportunity to share the ups and downs of writing life with a group of wonderful children’s authors. (Shoutout to the lovely Pip Harry, Fiona Lloyd, Kate Foster and Kristin Darrell!)

More recently, last week I attended Book Link’s Romancing the Stars in Brisbane, an annual celebration of recent children’s book releases. I spoke about my two latest titles, 11 Ruby Road: 1950 (historical fiction for kids) and Robo-teacher (definitely not historical fiction, unless you’re reading it in 100 years time when robots are teaching our kids [which, for the record, I do hope never happens]). It was a fantastic night, celebrating children’s literature in our community.

I also discovered I can balance two books on my head for approximately six metres. (Long story.)

Up next…

2026 is set to be quiet for me, in terms of book releases, with my next junior fiction series and a standalone picture book both due for release next year. My role on these is largely complete, so lately I’ve been working on a few shiny new projects, including a YA concept, which is new territory for me. I had a lot of fun writing the proposal, so I’m crossing fingers and toes that it gets the go ahead. (You’ll be the first to know if it does ;) ).

Next term, I have a handful of speaking engagements lined up, including, most excitingly, a trip to Shanghai next month!

It’s my first international author trip AND my first time in China. I’m beyond excited!! (Especially for the delicious food.) If you have any travel tips for Shanghai, please let me know! I’ll have one day to fit in as much sight-seeing as I can, before I start my five days of speaking at an international school. What are the ‘must-dos’ in Shanghai? I’d love to know.

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I’m also planning a trip to Sydney from 11th-12th May. Please get in touch if you’d like me to visit your school.

Later in term 2, I’ll be taking a trip to Quilpie, 1000 km west of Brisbane. I’ll be speaking at some local schools and a community event at the library. (If you’re in town, please come along!)

I’ve only been to Quilpie once before, on a family road trip when I was in primary school. I’m looking forward to visiting the area again, and am particularly looking forward to taking a flight, rather than driving, this time. In saying that, I’ll miss the games and story writing with my sisters in the back seat of our family car. (I won’t miss the arguments though. Sorry, Mum!)

I’m excited to visit such a wide variety of locations over the coming months! As always, I have plenty of availability for author talks and writing workshops across South East Queensland in Term 2 and 3 (including some Book Week availability). So if you’re looking for a speaker, I’d love you to keep me in mind!

Charlotte Barkla Author Presentations

539KB ∙ PDF file

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Book me to speak at your school

Wishing you a fabulous Easter break and school holidays ahead. May it be filled with plenty of reading, writing, and chocolate.

Charlotte

They started doing it a few years ago.

My son includes his hat, underwear, socks, everything. Not just in a pile or laid on the bed. He positions them realistically across the rug in his bedroom, forming an invisible person lying on the floor. He lines up each sock carefully below each leg of the shorts, and spaces his school hat twenty centimetres above the collar of his polo shirt, such that it’s sitting on top of the supine invisible person’s head.

Of course, this enthusiasm dips on day two, and day three, steadily declining until Week 8, then plummeting as we all push through to Week 10.

It’s a common phenomenon. When you’re having a fresh start, you’re motivated. Your desk is tidy and you’re ready to write 100 books and win the Best Author of the Year Award.1

But then the reality sinks in. Suddenly, the basket of washing looks more important than finishing the chapter. Your writing desk becomes the place to store buttons that have fallen off shirts, leaflets about after-school soccer and that notice about the power being turned off next week. You’re no longer lining up your clothes for the new school day.

Motivation is what starts us off but discipline is what keeps us going. Adding one word after another until you finally get to the end of the manuscript.

My writing resolution for 2026 is to maintain the enthusiasm of a kid on the first day of school. To be excited about sitting down at my desk. To feel inspired about the projects I’m working on. (And to eat more vegetables, but that’s another matter.)

If you’d like someone to help you stay motivated with your writing project this year, I’m taking on five new mentees in the first half of 2026. I’ve just signed up two new writers, which means I have three spots remaining.

Learn about my mentoring

I’d love to work with you and help you achieve your writing goals. Who knows, maybe one day you’ll be excitedly lining up your outfits along the floor before each writing session?2

Until next time,

Charlotte

Book-tionary

(Like Pictionary, using titles of Australian kids’ books.)

Last week, the title was Kristin Darell’s junior fiction series, Football Fever:

Round 5

For our very final round, it’s a title that’s very close to my heart. :) An Australian historical fiction series for middle grade readers:

Hint: Three words.

Think you know the answer?

For once, I have an actual, real life prize. Reply to this email (if you’re reading in your inbox) or comment below (if you’re reading on substack). Answer the “Book-tionary” correctly AND tell me a book I should read over summer to go into the draw to win a signed copy of Robo-Teacher, my latest middle-grade novel, pictured here with our resident Elf on a Shelf.

Competition open to Australian mailing addresses only. Winner will be chosen at random. Entries close 12 noon on Monday 8th December.

And finally…

The Guardian Australia is asking readers to nominate their favourite Australian picture book, for a reader’s poll next year. We have so many fantastic picture books to celebrate in Australia. You (or your young reader) can nominate your favourite book at the link below:

Nominate a picture book

And that’s all, folks!

Have a fantastic Christmas break ahead! Thanks for following along with my newsletter this year. I hope you are able to enjoy time with loved ones over the holiday break and, of course, lots of time reading.

x Charlotte

A game.

Specifically,

Book-tionary

(Like Pictionary, using titles of Australian kids’ books.)

Last week, the title was Fiona Lloyd’s Being Jimmy Baxter. Did you get it right? (It took me awhile to come up with Baxter.)

Teachers/librarians/parents and carers, test it out with your children! See if they can come up with a Book-tionary of their own, for a book they’ve recently read.

I’d love to hear how they go…

Get in touch

Round 4

This week, it’s a junior fiction series, by Kristin Darell:

Hint: Two words.

Think you know the answer?

Reply to this email (if you’re reading in your inbox) or comment below (if you’re reading on substack). First person to answer correctly gets to imagine themselves winning a vacation to this tropical island:

Happy guessing!

Until next time,

Charlotte

P.S Next week is the last one. And I’m sure you’ll get it, Vanessa and Jessie. :)

A game.

Specifically,

Book-tionary

Last week, another wonderful Teacher-Librarian was the quickest to guess the book title correctly. Congrats to Andrea O’Flynn for being first to interpret ‘Small Acts’ by Kate Foster and Kate Gordon (in just ten minutes!):

This week, it’s another middle-grade novel:

Hint #1: Three words.

Hint #2: This title was a CBCA Shortlisted book in 2024.

Is a non-Teacher Librarian ever going to take out the title?

We’ll see.

Reply to this email (if you’re reading in your inbox) or comment below (if you’re reading on substack). First person to answer correctly can gaze at this incredible sunset pic for as long as they like:

Happy guessing!

Until next time,

Charlotte

A game. Specifically,

Book-tionary

Last week, renowned Teacher-Librarian Jenny Stubbs was the first to correctly interpret my sketch as ‘Over or Under’ by Pip Harry:

This week, we have a middle-grade novel:

Hint: Two words.

Think you can be faster than Jenny Stubbs?

Reply to this email (if you’re reading in your inbox) or comment below (if you’re reading on substack). First person to answer correctly wins bragging rights and the opportunity to imagine themselves winning a lifetime supply of chocolate.

Leave a comment

Happy guessing!

Until next week,

Charlotte

P.S Please feel free to forward this to a teacher/teacher-librarian who may be interested in using this as a lesson starter or book-inspired class activity. :)

A game.

We all love games, and this is one you are welcome to share with the young readers in your life.

Teachers / TLs, you might like to use this as a lesson starter, or encourage your students to make their own, as a book-inspired class activity.

Just get to the point, Charlotte

OK, then.

Without further ado,

introducing…

Book-tionary

Can you guess the title of this Australian picture book?

Hint: Three words.

Think you know the answer?

Reply to the email (if you’re reading in your inbox) or comment below (if you’re reading on substack). First person to answer correctly wins my adoration, and gets to look at this photo of a puppy dressed in banana PJs for as long as they want.

Leave a comment

Happy guessing!

Charlotte

P.S If you’ve already seen this game on my instagram earlier this year, I apologise. You are among the elite group of eight to ten people (according to my social media stats) who caught a glimpse of my attempt at an interactive, kids’ book-inspired activity. Given the time it took for me to sketch each one, I thought I’d try it again. (Because recycling is good, right?) :)

It’s October, and Robo-teacher is officially in store!

This book was a LOT of fun to write. I wrote it during lockdown, in 2020, and it took me a while to find it a home. (More on that another time.)

But it is here, now, and it is wonderful.

The most wonderful part, though, was, after the box of advance copies arrived, my son took it to school. Not his favourite Pokemon book or Bunny Vs Monkey, but my book. Here is the proof, in case you don’t believe me:

This book is about a ten-year-old kid, Hazel, who decides she’s had enough of her horrible teacher (aptly named Miss Horrid, and who is horrid both inside and out). So, Hazel decides to design a robotic teacher with her friends, to replace her. But things don’t exactly go to plan…

Read blurb

There are lots of teacher/school jokes (I couldn’t help it), it’s a bit of a dig at AI, and was a LOT of fun to write.

I would love you to take a read!

Speaking of AI…

I took the opportunity to test it out over the past few months. On my author instagram page, I ran an “Author or AI” activity, inviting readers to read two poems, and guess which was created by AI, and which was created by me.

For example, on the last day of Term 3, I penned a quick haiku about the feelings of a teacher/children’s author on that day. I then asked an AI tool to create one, and invited readers to guess which one I’d created.

Can you pick my haiku?

I ran the experiment four times over the course of a couple of months. I thought it would be an easy test. I assumed my human-created poetry would be far superior.

Readers,

I

was

wrong.

The results were divided. Some were a 50-50 split, some swung towards the correct one and one swung the opposite way entirely. It was such an interesting experiment!

One thing’s for sure though: what I got out of the process was different. In writing each poem, I crafted something from nothing. I practiced my craft, and, most importantly, I had fun as I wrote it.

Something I certainly didn’t get when I used an AI tool.

Just for the record, I still think my (human-created) versions are better. If you’d like to test yourself out on the others, check out my instagram account.

And finally…

I’ll leave you with a picture of a bedazzling cover of Robo-teacher, created by a kid at a writing workshop I ran over school holidays. Isn’t it the best?

Until next time, happy reading, writing and creating.

Charlotte

It’s release day for 11 Ruby Road: 1950! Hooray!

The third installment in the 11 Ruby Road series, set in the post-war 1950s - perfect period fiction for middle-grade readers and for fans of the Our Australian Girl series.

Since Patsy's baby sister was born, things at home have felt different. So when her mother goes to spend some time in countryside, Patsy stays with her uncle and aunt, at Number 11 Ruby Road. There are so many new people to meet, especially when she begins to help out in Uncle Alex's bright and busy milk bar.

Patsy and her new friend Jolanta soon bond over their shared love for sketching. Jolanta's family are 'new Australians' from Poland, but Patsy discovers that not everyone is as welcoming to the people who came all the way from Europe after the war.

Inspired by the stories of the old Jazz, Cricket and Pastry Club that used to take part in 11 Ruby Road's under croft, Patsy has an idea to bring together all the wonderful inhabitants of Ruby Road ... wherever they come from!

I’ve loved writing this series, and exploring life in Australia across the 20^th century. I hope readers love the new book as much as I do. :)

To celebrate the launch, I’ve developed a creative writing activity aimed at kids 8-12 years, surrounding the use of setting. For the teachers/educators/librarians/parents and carers out there, I hope you and your young ones find it useful!

Creative Writing Worksheet Spectacular Story Settings

343KB ∙ PDF file

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The book is in store as of today (and available online) and will be officially launched on 14^th September at Where the Wild Things Are bookshop in Brisbane. I’d love to see you there!

Book your spot

Until next time,

Charlotte

I thought it would take one phone call. But, between running through FAQs about refunds/warranties on the website, working out how to contact the company (not as simple as you’d expect), calling the company, spending time on hold, being transferred between departments, sending receipts/photos, looking up Australian consumer law, receiving phone calls from the company and explaining the issue to three or four different workers (all of whom were very polite and extremely grateful for my patience and my ability to remain calm), I’d say it took more like six hours.

My request was escalated twice, and eventually rejected. If I wanted to purse it further, I could take it into store for an inspection.

I considered this. I thought about how much additional time this would take. I’d already spent six hours. On one hand, I was pretty invested in pursuing this refund. On the other hand, taking it into store would be a significant time commitment. Between travelling to the shopping centre, parking, navigating through wall-to-wall weekend shoppers and explaining the issue (again) one or two times, I estimated an additional two hours, at best, with quite possibly the same outcome.

So, I decided to cut my losses. Against my innate tendency to realise value for money, I stopped pursuing the refund. (I kept the dodgy phone case. I will wait until it completely falls apart, and then I will buy a different one.)

In hindsight, it would have been much more cost effective to cut my losses far earlier. Rather than even trying to pursue a refund, I could’ve saved myself six hours, and more than a little frustration, and bought a new phone case at the first sight of malfunction. I could’ve used those six hours, instead, in working productively, potentially gaining $60 income. But it didn’t even cross my mind. I was too focussed on the indignance of losing $60.

This is a natural human tendency called loss aversion. And it can be the same feeling when working on a manuscript.

Sometimes, I find it’s hard to tell when to stop. Sometimes, the more time I spend working on a manuscript, the more I’m attached to pursuing its publication. The more publishers I submit to, and get rejected from, the more I feel determined to find someone to sign the project. Partly because I’m passionate about it, and partly to prove that the time I spent working on the project was in fact, time well spent.

It can be a conundrum. Do I keep spending time on Project A, reworking it and resubmitting it? Or, should I cut my losses with Project A, and move on to Project B? Project B is shinier, after all. Maybe that’s the project with which I’ll achieve literary success and stardom?

But then there’s the niggling voice. But what if Project A is “the one”? What if that’s the book that goes onto achieve the Miles Franklin? (Like in the case of Siang Lu, whose manuscript was rejected 200 times before it found a publisher.)

It’s a tricky one.

Usually, after I’ve given a manuscript a good run, I move on. Unless I have particular feedback from publishing contacts, or a strong desire to rework it, I put it aside and try something new. Sometimes, I put a note in my calendar to ‘revisit xyz manuscript’ one or two months later. (I rarely do, but something about putting it in my calendar helps me move on.)

It doesn’t feel great to let go of something you’ve spent hours (weeks, months) on, not gonna lie. It’s worse than the indignance of wasting $60 on a dodgy phone case.

But it’s part of the writing process. It’s part of building your craft, and still contributes to your growth as a writer. I have a mantra that I write in my diary before I start a writing session: “I am building my body of work”. It doesn’t matter if that particular writing session leads to a publishable outcome or not, it’s all part of working my creative muscle.

What about you? For the writers out there, when do you move on from a manuscript?

Alternatively, do you have an unsuccessful (or successful) refund pursual story you can share?

Leave a comment

Events

In other news, the release of 11 Ruby Road: 1950 is coming up quickly. I’ll be holding a launch at Where the Wild Things Are in Brisbane, on Sunday 14th September. I’d love to see you there!

Book a spot

I’m also planning to launch my middle-grade novel, Robo-teacher as part of the Where the Wild Things Are September school holidays program. Watch this space!

And finally, a brief note on the importance of spelling. One letter really can make a difference.

Until next time,

Charlotte

I’m writing to you from drizzly Melbourne, where I’m have a wonderful few days interstate, speaking at schools and enjoying the properly wintery weather.

When my kids were in the baby/toddler stage, I used to think having a hotel room to myself for a couple of days, without anyone needing anything from me, would be the ultimate luxury.

Now, with my kids in the “golden years” of primary school, whenever I travel for work and have the peaceful hotel room experience, I have to say it’s not all I envisioned when I was elbow deep in nappies and breast pumps. It’s a nice change, don’t get me wrong, but I have to say hotel rooms are slightly boring without someone arguing over what to watch on TV, or complaining that someone’s taking too long in the bathroom.

I miss the stories my kids come up with, too. Like the time recently when we were talking about politics at dinnertime (which might sound highbrow, but isn’t a common occurrence) and my son picked up on us mentioning ‘Trump.’

He piped up. ‘Did you know Donald Trump makes people in America pay to use the toilets?’

‘No, I didn’t know that,’ I said, wondering what new policies had been put in place.

Then, his brow furrowed.

‘Actually, no, that was South Africa. When Oscar went there on holidays, he had to pay to use the public toilets.’

Gosh, it made me laugh. I suppose it was just one of those times you accidentally mix up a world leader’s legislation with an eight-year-old’s vacation.

I miss my kids’ delightful anecdotes. I don’t miss their complaints about what I made for dinner. But you can’t have everything.

As well as visiting Melbourne schools, this month I had the honour of speaking at two Readers Cup events. This might sound like an exaggeration, but Readers Cup could very well be the most wonderful event for young readers in the entire world. Picture the Olympics for kids who love reading; teams of students read sets of books and then compete with other teams in their region to answer quiz questions. The winning teams receive trophies or medallions, and the victors from each area competes in a state final.

I was thrilled when I learned that 11 Ruby Road: 1900 was selected as one of the books this year, and I was honoured to be Quizmaster for the Brisbane Central and Somerset/Lockyer competitions. Let me tell you, they were NOT easy questions … For some of the questions that had been created for 11 Ruby Road, I didn’t even know the answers off the top of my head!

Teachers/librarians in QLD, I highly recommend getting your kids involved in this fabulous competition. It’s not just metropolitan; regional competitions are held state-wide. I SO wish this had existed when I was in school. (Learn more at the link below…)

Readers Cup Info

At the Brisbane Central competition, I even scored a homemade cupcake from one of the teams, which, along with meeting dozens of enthusiastic young readers and writers, was one of the definite highlights of the day.

And that’s all this time. :)

Until next time, happy reading, writing and creating,

Charlotte

I’ve owned gardening crocs for over a decade. They’re half falling apart and caked with dirt. They’re a well-worn, useful pair of shoes that get safely hidden away whenever guests come over.

A few years ago, when I heard – through my tween nephews – that crocs were fashionable I couldn’t believe my ears. Suddenly, I started seeing crocs everywhere. Even fashionable shop assistants in department stores. I couldn’t understand it.

It’s the most out-of-touch I’ve felt since the time I noticed something strange about one of my students’ headphones, and asked her how she broke them. (She told me they were called airpods.)

My kids now have a pair of crocs each, and wear them EVERYWHERE. My son likes to try convincing me they’re a sensible hiking shoe. (And when I can’t be bothered arguing, sometimes I let him win.)

Since their resurgence, I now own a second pair of crocs. And they’re not just for gardening. I bought them when my old flip-flops gave up their flipping and flopping. I swore to my family that I would only wear them to the swimming pool or the beach.

Soon, however, short neighbourhood walks crept into the equation.

Then, swimming-adjacent activities became acceptable too, like a quick trip to the supermarket or petrol station, before or after the pool or beach.

Am I on a slippery slope to crocs becoming my permanent shoe?

Recommendations

Aside from contemplating plastic footwear, in the past few weeks I’ve been:

• Reading:

  • The Ledge by Christian White – highly recommend, a great page turner!

  • The Wedding People by Alison Espach – also very good. (I came across it when author Sarah Ayoub reviewed it in her substack.)

  • 27 x Year 8 Maths assignments – slightly monotonous, not gonna lie.

• Watching:

  • The Residence on Netflix– I enjoyed it, and thought the quirky, bird-watching detective was fantastic, but think it could’ve been wrapped up a little quicker. (What do you think?)

  • Lego Masters – excellent family viewing.

  • Ghosts - I’ve finally joined the bandwagon.

• Writing:

  • Proofreading Robo-teacher, a middle-grade novel, coming in September… watch this space!

  • Drafting Book 2 of a new junior fiction series, publishing in 2026 (and loving delving into an extravagant fantasy setting)

  • Contemplating a new historical fiction idea while I’m washing the dishes or taking the dog for a walk.

• Listening:

  • Mushroom Case Daily, a podcast which follows the murder trial taking place in regional Victoria. A new episode is released each day that court is sitting, summarising the evidence and events. (I’m borderline obsessed.)

  • Your Kid’s Next Read podcast with authors Allison Tait, Megan Daley and Allison Rushby . (I highly recommend their ‘first chapters’ series for entertaining the young listeners in your life.)

  • Writers off the Page podcast with author Chenée Marrapodi. Her latest series includes interviews with publisher from Allen and Unwin, Hardie Grant, Penguin Random House and Larrikin House. (Highly recommend this one for aspiring authors.)

What about you? I’d love to hear your recommendations!

Leave a comment

And finally…

If you’re in Brisbane this Sunday I’m speaking on a panel on Writing Historical Fiction, organised via SCBWI. I’d love to see you there. :)

Book here

Until next time,
Charlotte

‘Can I ask you a personal question?’

‘Sure,’ I said. (Reader, I should’ve said no.)

‘I was wondering…’ she screwed up her nose slightly. ‘Can you actually make a living as an author?’

All parents, grandparents and dogs within earshot swivelled to face me.

I mumbled something about multiple income sources and speaking opportunities, while twenty pairs of eyes drilled into me. Made a joke about perhaps asking JK Rowling what she thought, the whole time wishing I could dig a hole and crawl inside.

But wait, there’s more.

‘Yes, I thought so,’ she admitted. ‘I was thinking an author would only be able to earn between x thousand and y thousand per year.’ She paused, then chuckled. ‘And that wouldn’t be a very good income, would it?’

At this point, I really wished I’d opted for kiss-and-drop. I did some more awkward fluffing, omitting the fact that the income bracket she’d estimated was, in fact, higher than my annual author income.

It was the longest three minutes of my life.

When my son finally skipped down the school steps, I fled. Usain Bolt would’ve been impressed by my getaway speed.

Needless to say, I avoided that particular pick-up location for several weeks.

In the days that followed, I wished I’d answered differently.

Perhaps I could’ve used the opportunity to educate her (and the increasing crowd) about the difference to a creator’s royalties when purchasing a book from a bookshop, compared to a department store. (For a picture book that sell for $20 in a bookshop, the author and illustrator will typically earn $1 per book - ie royalties of 5% RRP. If the same book is sold at a department store for $10, the author and illustrator earn 50c per book.)

Or, perhaps I could’ve politely enquired whether she would ask the same question of someone in a different occupation — perhaps another small business owner, or a hairdresser, architect or mechanic. Perhaps I could’ve said ‘I’d rather not talk about my income at the school gate surrounded by near-strangers.’

But I didn’t, because I felt like that would be rude. (Ha!)

I found the question uncomfortable because, in my experience, it is difficult to make a living solely from my books. As an author, I generate income from a variety of sources, including speaking engagements, lending rights payments (to compensate for copies of books available to the public for free in libraries), tutoring creative writing and mentoring other writers. I also teach part-time. Sometimes, the balance between work/writing/life can feel like a hustle. Sometimes, it can feel like it’s not worth it. And — yes — sometimes it feels like there would be easier ways to make a living.

But writing can also be joyful. Meeting young readers who’ve read and loved your books certainly is. And without people who are willing to spend their time writing stories for the next generation, where would we be?

I suspect I’m not the only author in Australia who makes a living by combining multiple income streams. According to the 2022 National Survey of Australian Book Authors, the average annual income derived from practicing as an author is $18,200. With the need to generate income from other sources, this means writers typically only spend half their working time producing original work. This represents a considerate amount of untapped potential. Imagine the creative work that would result if authors could devote their full working week towards creating new books?

On the flip side, working (outside of writing) has benefits too. Like kind colleagues, a reason to get changed out of your pyjamas and an opportunity to observe people’s quirks on public transport, for possible inclusion in future novels. (I’m looking at you, man whom I once saw brushing his teeth in his car while driving along Coronation Drive.)

The moral of this story? Yes, an author’s income is typically lower than average. There is an argument for artists, including authors to be paid a living wage. There is also an argument for Australia to adopt a Fixed Book Pricing scheme, like many European countries, to discourage discount pricing of books. (Although there are many factors to take into account there, as the article points out.)

I’m not sure what the answer is, but one thing’s for sure. The next time someone wants to ask me a personal question at the school gate, I’ll say ‘no’. :)

In other news…

11 Ruby Road: 1950 has a cover! And it’s beautiful…

I’ve popped the blurb below:

The third installment in the 11 Ruby Road series, set in the post-war 1950s - perfect period fiction for middle-grade readers and for fans of the Our Australian Girl series.

Since Patsy's baby sister was born, things at home have felt different. So when her mother goes to spend some time in countryside, Patsy stays with her uncle and aunt, at Number 11 Ruby Road. There are so many new people to meet, especially when she begins to help out in Uncle Alex's bright and busy milk bar.

Patsy and her new friend Jolanta soon bond over their shared love for sketching. Jolanta's family are 'new Australians' from Poland, but Patsy discovers that not everyone is as welcoming to the people who came all the way from Europe after the war.

Inspired by the stories of the old Jazz, Cricket and Pastry Club that used to take part in 11 Ruby Road's under croft, Patsy has an idea to bring together all the wonderful inhabitants of Ruby Road ... wherever they come from!

Pre-order here

I’m planning a launch for September, in Brisbane. Watch this space… :)

And that’s all this time! Feel free to send me any awkward questions you’d like answered about author life. (I’ll provide a considered response via newsletter, just not at the school gate. :) )

Get in touch

Until next time, happy reading, writing and creating.

Charlotte

Much like those fireworks, my writing year has started with a bang. As soon as the kids were safely back in school I squirrelled myself away at my desk (with lamingtons and motivational mugs of tea) and finished the structural edit for my latest children’s historical fiction novel.

I also started outlining the second junior fiction novel in a brand new series (coming 2026) and – very excitingly – have recently seen a peek of the front covers of my two 2025 releases. They’re both pretty great, not gonna lie. I’ll be sharing them here as soon as I’m able to… :)

Events

I’ve been fortunate to take part in some wonderful events this month. First up was a ‘Back to School’ online session run through the wonderful Museum of Australian Democracy (MOAD) in Canberra.

We had 500 students tuning in from their classrooms, and the event was especially special because I was able to co-present with Jade Goodwin, the lovely illustrator for Let’s Try Again Another Day, and Steph, from MOAD. Jade led an illustration activity - based on the book - and her instruction was so great, even I managed to draw something half-decent. ;)

To tie in with the session, MOAD also put together a (free to download) teaching resource sheet based on Let’s Try Again Another Day, exploring the power of trying again and being creative. If you’re a teacher or parent, you might like to check it out!

Civic Engagement With Charlotte And Jade

936KB ∙ PDF file

Download

Download

On the same day, much later that night, I took part in an online story-telling and Q&A for the UK-based charity, Children Today.

In my first session, I read From My Head to My Toes, I Say What Goes and Let’s Try Again Another Day. I have one more online session scheduled for Wednesday 2^nd April from 10:00-11am BST / 7-8pm AEST. It may not be the most child-friendly time if you’re in the southern hemisphere, but if you’re in the north, or just looking for something to do at 7:00pm with your young one, you’re welcome to tune in!

Book here

There are also lots of other wonderful authors participating in the program - check out the Children Today events page if you’re interested :)

Back to School

Earlier this week I had my first (in person) school visit of the year. I presented to years 2 and 3 at Peregian Springs State School on the Sunshine Coast. They have a wonderful, vibrant library and library staff – and are one of the few public schools in Queensland I’ve encountered who have a teacher-librarian on staff. (Somewhat of a rarity these days.) It was a lovely day, and doubly lovely because I was able to catch up with author Deb Abela!

At the end of one of the sessions, a Year 2 class presented me with a card, filled with phrases of how to say ‘no’ – inspired by my book on consent, From My Head to My Toes, I Say What Goes. It was very sweet…

Next week I’ll be appearing at Words out West in Dalby and Chinchilla, as part of the Schools Program. (Local teachers – tickets are free and still available!)

Words Out West

Other Events

Later in the year, I’ll be travelling to / appearing at:

• Melbourne from Tuesday 24^th to Friday 27^th June

• Townsville from Tuesday 26^th to Wednesday 27^th August

• Sydney during Term 3 (dates TBA).

• Brisbane/South East Queensland (Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, Toowoomba regions) during Book Week and across Term 2/3

I still have spots available across these dates (including a couple during Book Week itself), so if your school or library is looking to run an author talk or writing workshop, I’d love you to get in touch. :)

Contact me

Charlotte Barkla Author Presentations

539KB ∙ PDF file

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Mentoring

My last piece of writing news this month is that I’ve added picture book appraisals to my mentoring services, and have expanded my mentorships to include junior fiction works-in-progress (one of my favourite age groups to write for).

If you’d like to know more – or book in a session – head to the mentoring page on my website. (I offer a 10% discount for newsletter subscribers, so make sure to mention it when booking.)

Contact me

And finally…

In other news, we adopted a dog.

More on that next time. :)

Until next month, happy reading, writing and creating.

Charlotte