This year I’m continuing my What does it mean to live a creative life? series, but as video interviews (you can check out last year’s written interviews here).

Check out my latest conversation with author and literary specialist Gisela Ervin-Ward. We talked about education and how we feel that every single school nation-wide should have access to an author visit, how the story of Gisela’s middle grade novel True South came together from different but fascinating threads, issues around AI, how creativity fits into everyday life and more.

Make sure you check out the links towards the bottom of the page so you can find out where to connect with Gisela and how to show your support.

Website

Instagram

Gisela’s book:

(Click the link below to purchase a signed copy straight from Gisela’s website or check out your local bookstore or library and order/request it if they don’t have it in stock.)

True South by Gisela Ervin-Ward

Thank you so much for joining us for the video interview series! I’d love to know what you think – leave a comment, respond via email, tap that heart, and share around!

For more of these interviews as well as updates from Creating Through Chaos, don’t forget to hit that subscribe button.

Want more? Check out other interviews in the series

I acknowledge the Darkinung people as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which I am writing from today. I walk, talk, write, and create with respect on this land, and I acknowledge the enduring connection the Darkinung people have with this Country; I thank them for their care of this Country, and I pay respects to the Elders past and present, and extend that respect to any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people here reading or listening.

I’m pretty sure I said this with my first two books, but this does not feel real! My third picture book titled One Word will be officially released on 7 July 2026.

ONE WORD written and illustrated by me, and published by Lothian Children’s Books (an imprint of Hachette).

This book truly is a story of my heart.

One Word is a story about a little girl and her grandfather, and the steps they take to reclaim a part of culture that was taken, so together they can begin healing. This story was inspired by my relationship with my grandfather. Though it’s a work of fiction, its foundation comes from lived experience.

Some of you might’ve already spied the cover online already, but I’m counting this as the first official reveal.

So here goes:

What do you think?

Leave a comment

It’s even more surreal this time since both the words and art are mine … it’s also more nerve-racking! But I’m feeling incredibly proud of the work I put into it, and the story I’ve brought to life.

Pre-order

If you’d like to pre-order (please do if you are able!), it would mean the absolute world to me.

Here are some pre-order links. It looks like many have pre-order deals too!

AU Links:

Find a bookshop near you

Dymocks

Readings

QBD

Harry Hartog

Booktopia

Amazon

The Nile

And of course, I always encourage supporting local independent bookstores where possible, so do reach out to yours and ask them to order it in for you. Here are links to my two fave local stores:

Umina Beach Book Nook

BookFace Erina Fair

NZ Links:

Fishpond NZ

UK Links:

TG Jones

Amazon UK

Blackwell’s

Bookshop.org

Foyles

Waterstones

US Links:

(The release date for the US is 3 November 2026 but it’s available for pre-order now)

Barnes & Noble

Books-a-million

Bookshop.org

Better World Books

Amazon

If you’re aren’t able to pre-order One Word, you can still show your support by liking this post, leaving a comment (I’d love to know what you think of the cover!), restacking or sharing around.

Your support means the world to me.

I acknowledge the Darkinung people as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which I am writing from today. I walk, talk, write, and create with respect on this land, and I acknowledge the enduring connection the Darkinung people have with this Country; I thank them for their care of this Country, and I pay respects to the Elders past and present, and extend that respect to any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people here reading or listening.

At school pick-up in the 10 minutes before the bell rings. At night when the rest of the house is sleeping. During afterschool activities while your child is training. On train (speaking of) or bus commutes. Whenever there’s a snippet of time to jot down your ideas, sentences, sparks of something that might become more, while dreaming of a day (or more, please!) of uninterrupted writing time. A day where cups of tea and snacks are magically delivered and you barely have to leave your wonderfully cosy writing cave and the words are flowing out so fast and so perfectly that you’ll be done in no time with a submission-ready manuscript and … okay, I think you get the point. We’re writing in the cracks while dreaming of perfect writing days.

So why is it that, in this month of June when I’ve got more free time than usual thanks to no editing work booked in and no author events scheduled, I am still struggling to prioritise my writing?

Instead of fully prioritising my writing I’m dealing with a whole lot of life admin. Emails! So many emails! Prepping our house to go on the market – that’s a big one, and taking up a ton of our time at the moment. Ticking things off my to-do list that have been there for an age instead of writing being the most important task sitting at the top of my list.

In all honesty, I am writing more than I have been in months. Last year I barely wrote at all! I was too busy with the launch of my first book, events, editing work, and tweaking/finishing my two books scheduled for release this year. And I just didn’t have capacity for writing. I didn’t have capacity for much of anything. I was exhausted.

So now, when I feel like I have at least some capacity, and I am writing more than before, it still feels like it’s not enough. And maybe that’s a part of the problem. No matter how much time I have, it will never feel like enough. This happens with holidays I go on too. A few days, a week, a few weeks (not that I’ve had one of the latter in a long time!) never feels like enough to do all the things I want to do in a new place. I don’t think I’ve ever finished up a trip away feeling like I did all the things I wanted and managed to soak it all up in the moment. And maybe that’s just how it’ll always be with writing too. Give me more time and I’ll get more writing done, but I’ll always want more. Hey, maybe this is just a me problem. Is it a you problem too?

Leave a comment

But also, perfect, uninterrupted writing days don’t really exist for anyone. Well, no one I know anyway! Most of us down here in the nowhere-near-millionaire-authors have other jobs and families to support, and even if they don’t, there are still emails to respond to, chores around the house to get to, bills to pay, food to cook, interviews and events and social media to fit in, and a hundred more things all piled on top of one another.

I think what I’m starting to realise is that I can’t press pause on ‘living life’ and all that comes with it so I can just write to my heart’s content. Maybe one day I will be given time and space and resources to focus solely on my creativity, but for the most part, I need to keep writing alongside regular life. Just as I have always done. Even if it doesn’t happen as fast or as often as I’d like, the words always come, pages are eventually filled, and even after periods of time where very little writing is done at all, I always come back to it.

So, now I’m off to spend some time rewriting an old picture book story that will hopefully work in a slightly different form. Then the focus will be on my middle grade manuscript that has been in the works for YEARS. Writing projects I’ve been wanting to get to forever. I might be slow to get there, but I do/will get there in the end. Those moments of writing in the cracks still add up. One word, one sentence, one page at a time, all small steps forward.

Updates

Book news

It’s less than one month until my third picture book titled One Word, written and illustrated by me, will be out in the world!!!

I can’t believe this has crept up so quickly. Since I haven’t even had a chance to do a proper cover reveal just yet, one will be coming your way on Tuesday, so keep an eye out for that coming straight to your inbox. I’d love to know what you think. I’ll also include some pre-order links and some more info about this book that is a story of my heart.

Recent events

I’ve had a couple of exciting events over the last few weeks. I held 8 sessions over 2 days at a school not too far from me. In the sessions, I incorporated history with my book Tubowgule: A Sydney Opera House History, as well as sharing culture, personal stories and some language with students in celebration of Reconciliation Week.

I also held a storytime and craft session at Words on the Waves Writers Festival Family Fun Day. It was the first year the fun day was held at Gosford Library, which is a fabulous library with plenty of great spaces for lots of activities and events. The fun day really was great fun and I love that my kids got to come along and enjoy it too.

I’m looking forward to upcoming events next month, a couple of which will be at Stanton Library and available for anyone to attend. I’ll be sure to update you all with more information on those events soon.

Video interview series

Have you watched the latest interview in the What does it mean to live a creative life? video series?

I had an amazing chat with , so check it out below if you haven’t seen it yet. And make sure you’re subscribed so you won’t miss the next interview due out at the end of July.

Thanks for being with me on this journey through all the chaos of life and creativity. I appreciate you and all your support.

Much love.

Yanu!

I acknowledge the Darkinung people as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which I am writing from today. I walk, talk, write, and create with respect on this land, and I acknowledge the enduring connection the Darkinung people have with this Country; I thank them for their care of this Country, and I pay respects to the Elders past and present, and extend that respect to any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people here reading or listening.

This year I’m continuing my What does it mean to live a creative life? series, but as video interviews (you can check out last year’s written interviews here).

Check out my latest conversation with author/illustrator and creator extraordinaire Kim de Haan below. We talk about creativity, success, AI and how to navigate this creative life alongside the everyday.

Make sure you check out the links towards the bottom of the page so you can find out where to connect with Kim and how to show your support.

Connect with Kim and her work …

Instagram

Website

Kim’s books:

(Click on the links to find out where to purchase or check out your local bookstore or library and order/request it if they don’t have it in stock.)

Daisy and Bug: Treehouse Troubles by Kim de Haan

Daisy wants to build the BEST TREEHOUSE EVER But there’s a little problem … Daisy and Bug don’t have a tree. Daisy has a bad reputation for good ideas. Bug just wants to nap.

What will happen when one of Daisy’s ideas grows out of control?

The Jolly Swagman written by Bec Nanayakkara and illustrated by Kim de Haan

Will dreams of going waltzing matilda with Ollie – the swagman who comes to shear at his family’s station. But then Ollie disappears… Like Banjo Patersons Waltzing Matilda, this story promotes social justice and compassion for others. This book will give young readers insight into this chapter of Australian history and a new appreciation for Banjo Paterson’s Waltzing Matilda.

Pride & Prejudice written by Jane Austen and illustrated by Kim de Haan

Reimagined by Hipkiss Publishing this illustrated hardcover captures the world of Pride and Prejudice with a beautiful dust jacket and internal illustrations. Finished with blue metallic foil and debossing on the hard cover, and the essential ribbon bookmark. This is a beautiful edition to your library or gift for the bibliophile in your life.

Thank you so much for joining us for the video interview series! I’d love to know what you think – leave a comment, respond via email, tap that heart, and share around!

For more of these interviews as well as updates from Creating Through Chaos, don’t forget to hit that subscribe button.

Want more? Check out other interviews in the series

I acknowledge the Darkinjung people as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which I am writing from today. I walk, talk, write, and create with respect on this land, and I acknowledge the enduring connection the Darkinjung people have with this Country; I thank them for their care of this Country, and I pay respects to the Elders past and present, and extend that respect to any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people here reading or listening.

Life always feels chaotic to me, but recently everything feels especially tumultuous.

The state of the world, filtering down to the everyday.

And honestly, I’m so effing lucky in so many ways. I’m not currently under threat of being bombed or displaced from my homeland. I am LUCKY, and I am reminding myself of that fact constantly. But the lows creep up on me anyway.

I’m struggling to do my usual kind of writing. I’m struggling with the ‘planned’ things, the things that have been on my brain to get done, the works-in-progress. None of that feels easy (not that creativity is ever really easy) for me to get to right now.

What has been popping straight into my mind and demanding to be put down on paper is poetry. I wouldn’t call myself a poet. I didn’t ever dare to dream of being a writer, I didn’t dare to dream of much of anything for myself when I was a kid or a teenager. What I did do was write poetry. I have joked many times that I wrote terrible poetry in high school, and that that was perhaps the only sign of my future author career. Since then, I’ve scribbled lines and short poems here and there but my creativity has been pulled towards prose. Until now.

While life is feeling the most chaotic and uncertain, the creative side of me isn’t itching to write prose or draw or paint like usual, but instead it’s manifesting as verse. And I’m going with it.

I’m reading lots of poetry lately too.

Plenty of Oodgeroo Noonuccal, Evelyn Araleun, Lionel Fogarty, Jazz Money, plus a bit of Keats and Plath here and there. But mostly I’m reaching for poetry that’s unflinching and blistering in its commentary and tells it how it is.

I’m not looking for perfect structure or straightforward storytelling that’s tied into a neat bow. I don’t need resolutions or obvious themes or perfect clarity.

I need words that make me feel.

I need to jot down the words that pop into my head. The short bursts, the sentences that might not make sense, but they come out anyway. It doesn’t mean I won’t edit them if I ever want them to be anything more than for my eyes only, but the looseness, the way in which I don’t have to plan or think too much before I write feels so very right.

Maybe it’s because my brain is having to process and make sense of so many things happening around me and to me that I don’t have space for communicating clearly in full sentences that everyone can understand. Poetry allows my brain to have a break from making sense and finding sense in the whole lot of sh*t that’s going on in the world, and instead puts my feelings down on paper in such a satisfying, jagged edges kind of way; filling the cracks that aren’t straight and uniform but curved and criss-crossed and uneven and all over the place. Poetry is filling up the cup where nothing else fits neatly but needs to be filled all the same.

It doesn’t matter whether my poetry writing goes anywhere or ends up published. What matters is that I’m still creating in the way my mind and body need.

There are times when creativity requires a little push and you have to sit down and do the work whether you feel like it or not. But there are also times like this where you need to go with the flow and follow your impulses.

So for now, I’m scribbling down lines of poetry and it feels oh so therapeutic. I’m sure I’ll be back to prose soon but for now I’m happy to be creating in whatever form feels right.

Your turn

What are you creating lately? Is the weight of the world affecting your creativity?

Leave a comment

Updates

Books

My latest picture book Narm-Jaap: A Flinders Street Station History illustrated by Dylan Finney is well and truly out in the world, and I’m loving all the pics and videos of people spotting it in bookstores or holding their own copies! Click the link below to buy your copy – and send me a pic of it if you do!

Buy here

I was also super excited to see Narm-Jaap in the latest Scholastic Book Club brochure! I had no idea it was going to be in there when I opened my daughter’s copy to have a browse, so it was a wonderful surprise!

Check out Miss 9 and Mister 6 holding onto a copy they spotted in our local Bookface store.

I’ll have some news about One Word very soon too – it’s a picture book I wrote and illustrated that will be out in July. Stay tuned.

Substack

Here at Creating Through Chaos, I’ve been busy behind the scenes conducting interviews for the What does it mean to live a creative life? video series.

Check out the very first video interview via the link below:

And be on the lookout for the next interview that will be out at the end of this month. If you’re not familiar with the series (last year they were written interviews – see the full archive here), they’re an ongoing project where the goal is to gain insight into how creatives juggle their work, regular life, and all the rest alongside their creativity. We also discuss success and how we might define that differently and what it means to be a successful creative today.

If that’s sounds right up your alley, make sure you’re subscribed so the interviews will arrive straight to your inbox every two months, and if you’re interested in participating, reach out via email or DM.

Recent notes

Before I say goodbye for now, here are some recent notes you might have missed. Feel free to tap some hearts, restack, share, and comment away! Any and all support is very helpful and much appreciated.

Yanu!

I acknowledge the Darkinjung people as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which I am writing from today. I walk, talk, write, and create with respect on this land, and I acknowledge the enduring connection the Darkinjung people have with this Country; I thank them for their care of this Country, and I pay respects to the Elders past and present, and extend that respect to any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people here reading or listening.

Popping into your inbox for a short one today because yesterday was NARM-JAAP: A FLINDERS STREET STATION HISTORY release day!

Narm-Jaap: A Flinders Street Station History written by me and illustrated by Dylan Finney is the second book in the Our Lands series. It follows on from Tubowgule: A Sydney Opera House History with a similar format and themes throughout with Narm-Jaap exploring the history of the place Flinders Street Station sits on.

The focus of the series is to tell the history of well-known places in Australia starting before colonisation, and showing the continued significance to the Aboriginal people of those places. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture is woven into the fabric of every single space and place on this continent, and yet, their history and presence is too often ignored.

With Our Lands, I seek to bring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture to the forefront when thinking about these iconic sites.

I honour the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung, the Traditional Owners of the land that Flinders Street Station sits on. Their voices, spirit and Ancestors remain in this place, and will forever do so.

I would very much appreciate your support in any way possible. Buy, borrow, review, share, like, shout from the rooftops! It all helps SO much <3

Click HERE to buy or check out your local bookstore or library.

Did you see the latest in the What does it mean to live a creative life? interview series? Check it out via this link:

I acknowledge the Darkinjung people as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which I am writing from today. I walk, talk, write, and create with respect on this land, and I acknowledge the enduring connection the Darkinjung people have with this Country; I thank them for their care of this Country, and I pay respects to the Elders past and present, and extend that respect to any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people here reading or listening.

This year I’m continuing my What does it mean to live a creative life? series, but as video interviews (you can check out last year’s written interviews here). Watch the first in the series below where I chat with children’s author Rebecca Grant.

We talk about creativity, balance, and success, as we each define it.

A quick note before we jump into the interview: my second picture book Narm-Jaap: A Flinders Street Station History illustrated by Dylan Finney is out on Tuesday 31 March! Check out the Cover Reveal post for more info about Narm-Jaap and for pre-order links. And I’ll likely pop into your inboxes again over the next few days to celebrate the release 🎉

Watch my conversation with Rebecca below, and make sure you check out the links towards the bottom of the page so you can find out where to connect with Rebecca and how to show your support.

Connect with Rebecca and her work …

Via Instagram

Rebecca’s books:

(Click on the links to find out where to purchase or check out your local bookstore or library and order/request it if they don’t have it in stock.)

How Do You Hide a Hippo written by Rebecca Grant and illustrated by Jedda Robaard

How DO you hide a ginormous hippo?

The shed is too small, the beds are too low, and the hippo? He’s not great at blending in.

A playful story with a cosy twist … this hippo might be fluffier than he looks!

Potion Commotion written by Rebecca Grant and illustrated by Niña Nill

Brilliant rhythm and rhyme and building chaos make this the perfect read-aloud story.

It starts with a witch, a dragon and a potion.

It ends with a commotion!

Prepare to be charmed by this story of a spell gone wrong and the whirlwind of magical mayhem that follows.

With irresistible cumulative rhyme from Rebecca Grant and captivating illustrations by Niña Nill, this picture book will enchant and entertain readers of all ages.

Thank you so much for joining us for the first video interview of the series! I’d love to know what you think – leave a comment, respond via email, tap that heart, and share around!

For more of these interviews as well as updates from Creating Through Chaos, don’t forget to hit that subscribe button.

I acknowledge the Darkinjung people as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which I am writing from today. I walk, talk, write, and create with respect on this land, and I acknowledge the enduring connection the Darkinjung people have with this Country; I thank them for their care of this Country, and I pay respects to the Elders past and present, and extend that respect to any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people here reading or listening.

Maybe you noticed or maybe you didn’t, but I’ve been away from your inboxes since my last post in December.

I decided to take January off from here and social media because I’m tired. (And then January somehow turned into February.) I’m oh so tired and it felt like a good idea so that I’d feel refreshed and ready and raring to go for the rest of 2026. And do I feel ready and raring to go after taking time off??

Ummm … no.

Instead, I’m feeling overwhelmed, exhausted and like I’m playing catch-up, which is exactly how I felt towards the end of last year. It hasn’t eased or gone away. Though I am glad to have had time off because my ability to function would’ve likely been non-existent during the school holiday period, I’m afraid to say that I have not bounced back.

Look, maybe I’m burnt out and bouncing back or refuelling is going to take much longer than a month or so break. Or maybe this is just how life feels now as a 40-year-old mum of two trying to work as an author/illustrator and freelance editor with two ageing dogs (gahhh it hurts to write this about my baby dogs) and trying to juggle all the regular life things including maintaining exercise and health, and all at a time when costs of everything are rising and it feels like the world has well and truly gone mad.

I don’t know, but what I do know is that figuring out my capabilities for the year and finding ways to continue moving forward while also trying to rejuvenate are going to have to be a priority.

But back to the world going mad, I’m sure most of you are well aware of war, political upheaval, and just a whole big pile of rot stenching up the place. And while that adds extra weight, there have been issues closer to home that have impacted me already in 2026 (more on one of those in the next section).

Although world/newsworthy issues may not seem all that related to what I usually share about on Creating Through Chaos, it is actually perfectly related because all the weight of the world sitting on the shoulders of creatives is part of why many of us create: because we have something to say about the world, our place in it, and the things that affect us and make us feel, which might just resonate with a bunch of other humans out there too. And for me personally, these issues are part of the reason for the chaos in the first place: it’s not just everyday life that feels chaotic; it’s often my brain and all the very, many stressful, painful, interesting things happening that circle around in my mind and make life feel more chaotic.

You too?

Leave a comment

It’s all of those things, the ups and downs and all the in-betweens that give me a reason to write. They add to my purpose and my why.

Support Sara Acton and her work

One of the things that’s been on my mind lately is how as creators sometimes things outside of our control happen that affect our sales and the longevity of our work. It can be stressful and unfair and result in significant financial loss.

I’ve been thinking about this particularly in light of the child exploitation charges brought against Craig Silvey in January.

Without going into too much detail, Silvey’s books have been pulled from shelves in many bookstores and libraries around Australia (rightly so, in my opinion), including the two Runt novels that were illustrated by Sara Acton.

I know there are likely many more people affected by this case, but for a moment I’d like to shine a light on Sara who is an incredible author/illustrator and such a warm, lovely human. Sara’s work being affected by this is so unfair, and so I’d like to urge you all to support Sara if it’s within your capabilities by purchasing or borrowing one (or more) of her other many books available.

Check out Sara’s website for a list of her titles, and buy/order/borrow from your local bookstore/library if possible and/or order online.

Here are some titles available online:

YourBookstore.io – find out where Sara’s books are available in local bookstores

Readings

Booktopia

And a couple on sale at Scholastic

What now?

Despite all the chaos and tiredness and exhaustion, there are lots of exciting things underway and still to come this year.

Tubowgule: A Sydney Opera House History recognition

In February, the 2026 CBCA Book of the Year Awards Notables list was announced with Tubowgule: A Sydney Opera House History included in the Eve Pownall Award category!

A big congrats to all who made the notables lists in all categories. There are so many familiar books and names!

While awards lists are not the be-all and end-all and there are many amazing books that do not make it onto these lists, it means a lot to me because it hopefully means that Tubowgule will reach more readers.

I wrote Tubowgule because the history of the land the Sydney Opera House sits on (starting before colonisation) was new to me when I discovered it as an adult. There are many things about First Nations history on this continent that weren’t (aren’t) taught in schools, and I believe that changing systemic racism starts with education, so Tubowgule, and the Our Lands series it’s a part of, are hopefully a small step in making change and adding to our cultural education. My hope is that children will grow up knowing the significance of these places for First Nations peoples historically but also continually, and that this knowledge will carry through to future generations.

I am honoured and very grateful that Tubowgule has been seen as I hoped it would be.

View the full list of 2026 Notables here.

Our Lands book 2

My second book, and the second in the Our Lands series, Narm-Jaap: A Flinders Street Station History illustrated by Dylan Finney will be out on 31 March in Australia and the UK! (US release dates still to come.)

Like Tubowgule, Narm-Jaap shares the history of a well-known place in Australia, starting from before colonisation, and celebrating the enduring significance of this place for the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung of the Kulin Nation.

I’m looking forward to sharing more about Narm-Jaap in the coming weeks, and it’s available for pre-order now! So, here are some links if you’re able and would like to pre-order Narm-Jaap: A Flinders Street Station History.

AU links:

Dymocks

Readings

Booktopia

QBD

The Nile

Amazon

And of course, I always encourage supporting local independent bookstores where possible, so do reach out to yours and ask them to order it in for you. Here are links to my two fave local stores:

BookFace Erina Fair

Umina Beach Book Nook

And here’s a link to a site where you can search for indie bookstores near you and view title availability:

YourBookstore.io

NZ Links:

Mighty Ape

Fishpond NZ

UK links:

TG Jones

Amazon UK

Blackwell’s

Bookshop.org

Foyles

Waterstones

And another one coming soon …

My third book titled One Word will be out on 7 July! It’s the first book I’ve both written and illustrated, which makes it even more exciting AND nerve-racking.

It’s also very much a story of my heart. Inspired by my relationship with my grandfather, it’s about a little girl named Myra who discovers her pop can speak his first language, Yugambeh language. Myra desperately wants to learn but her pop keeps changing the subject whenever she asks.

It’s a story about the generational effects of colonisation, language reclamation, family and love.

I’ll be sharing more about One Word over the coming months.

Upcoming interview

Those of you who’ve been here for a while will know that last year I shared written interviews with fellow creatives.

I enjoyed that process so much but for this year I decided to change the format and I’ve switched to video interviews, which I hope you’ll enjoy even more than the written ones.

The first of the video interview series featuring author Rebecca Grant is coming this month, so keep an eye out for that. It’s a new learning process for me with editing so it’s taking a bit longer to figure out, but it’ll be in your inboxes soon.

2026 Plans for Creating Through Chaos

My plans for my little space here in 2026 are somewhat simpler and slower than last year, though with the intention of creating more meaningful posts to share with you all.

With two books on the way in my second year as a published author (and soon-to-be author/illustrator), I’ll continue sharing the messy reality of being a creative, the process behind the scenes of publishing children’s books, updates on my books and upcoming events, plus conversations with fellow creatives about their own processes.

Despite an exhausted beginning, I’m excited for what’s to come in 2026 and I’m so happy to have you all along for the ride!

I acknowledge the Darkinjung people as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which I am writing from today. I walk, talk, write, and create with respect on this land, and I acknowledge the enduring connection the Darkinjung people have with this Country; I thank them for their care of this Country, and I pay respects to the Elders past and present, and extend that respect to any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people here reading or listening.

‘When twelve-year-old Nell crashes her sailboat into a submerged house in the lake, she stumbles into a treasure hunt that plunges her into a generations-old family feud.’

True South by Gisela Ervin-Ward is a middle grade novel full of adventure and mystery. The story pulled me in from the very first line:

‘It’s not every day that you crash your boat into a house.’

Main character Nell is out sailing with best friend Gemma when they crash into a house in the middle of the lake. In the midst of a race, and desperate to beat their mothers who are among their competitors, Nell and Gemma don’t stop for long to ponder the strangeness of a house submerged in the lake they’ve grown up sailing on.

But the mystery stays with Nell well after the race, and she embarks on a journey to uncover the truth behind the lake house. That journey leads Nell to her own family history that’s intertwined with a neighbouring family; the two families known adversaries in a generations-long feud.

As Nell seeks to uncover secrets, she’ll also grapple with questions about herself and what she truly wants for her future.

True South is a compelling middle grade read with brilliant pacing that had me furiously turning the page wanting to solve the mystery alongside Nell.

Full of depth and thematic layers, it’s about growing up and heading towards the teenage years, changing relationships, discovering things about family, and realising your parents (and grandparents too) aren’t perfect or always right. It’s about coming into your own, and making your own choices that aren’t defined by the generations before you.

A thoroughly enjoyable book that would be perfect for readers 9+ who like contemporary stories with a sprinkle of history and a bucketload of intrigue and adventure.

True South is Gisela Ervin-Ward’s debut – I can’t wait to see what comes next from Gisela!

I acknowledge the Darkinjung people as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which I am writing from today. I walk, talk, write, and create with respect on this land, and I acknowledge the enduring connection the Darkinjung people have with this Country; I thank them for their care of this Country, and I pay respects to the Elders past and present, and extend that respect to any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people here reading or listening.

I don’t know about you but growing up I never would’ve believed living a life of creativity – actually earning money from writing and art! – was possible. Yet here I am with my debut picture book that came out in March 2025 with two more on the way. The possibilities feel endless and it’s incredibly exciting! But it’s also tricky to manage writing and art along with my editing work and being a parent. Let’s not even get started on other things like being social and looking after my health. It’s a juggle, and I never quite feel on top of it.

But, I am working on figuring out how to better juggle all the things, and a big part of that is by reading and learning from others. So, in this series, we’ll look at how fellow creatives are living a creative life and what that means to them. We all measure success in different ways and we all have differing priorities, but there’s much we can learn from one another, so let’s dive in.

Meet Di …

Di Taylor, known as DJ Taylor in the KidLit world, is the author of the YA historical fiction novel Anna’s War. Early in her career she was a teacher-librarian and throughout her career she has continually read children’s books.

Di has written many popular travel blogs recording her long distance walks in the United Kingdom and Europe. Her most popular blog documents her 2000kms walk from Land’s End to John O’Groats in the United Kingdom. This took four months and Di wore out six pairs of socks.

Di lives in the small country town of Kilcoy about 1.5 hours drive NW of Brisbane where she is actively involved in the arts community.

Di, what creative things do you do? Tell us about your creative pursuits whether you classify them as your job or hobby or side hustle, we’d love to hear about all of them.

I’ve never really thought about classifying my creative pursuits. Many have been life-long passions whilst others I’ve been learning since I retired. I just do them because I like doing them. I can’t imagine not being able to create something whether it’s art or craft or writing. I do know that I always have too many balls in the air at the one time.

From an early age I’ve always had creative projects. My mother taught me to knit on six-inch carpenters’ nails when I was four and I never looked back. I’ve always enjoyed knitting, also crocheting and working with textiles.

I realised I could draw when I was in primary school when a teacher asked us to copy a lithograph from our class reading book. The exercise was only to fill in time before the bell rang to go home. It proved to be the highlight of being in that class.

At high school and at teachers’ college I studied art. It was my all-time favourite subject. When I retired I studied watercolour and I now consider myself a watercolour artist. I don’t paint in any other medium as I love how the watercolour paint plays with water on the paper.

Where are you at with your creative pursuits right now? How do they fit into your life? If more than one, is one a main priority?

My current passion, well the biggest ball in the air out of all the balls in the air, is creating historical fiction stories which marry with true events. It requires a great deal of research which I thoroughly enjoy. I source original diaries, texts, historical footage on YouTube, personal memories from those who are still living and anything else I can find. The creative part is melding this information together to create a compelling fictional story.

What does living a successful creative life look like to you? Are you living that right now? Or working towards it?

I think a creative life is integral to all of us. However, if I had nothing else to do but create I don’t think I would do anything. I need the tension of family and other organisational responsibilities to create a ‘time pressure’ so I use my time wisely. It makes me appreciate and make use of the available free time. I saw a quote from the 4th Earl of Chesterfield written in 1747 on cultivating small creative habits. It resonated with me and he said, “Take care of the minutes, the hours will look after themselves.”

If I have a spare ten minutes I will fill it with reading or thinking of writing possibilities or anything else I have on the go at the time. I find it a positive challenge and I do accomplish a lot by filling the time spaces. It sure beats doom scrolling!

Are there obstacles you feel are in the way of you living a successful creative life right now? If so, what are they? What do you think would help move past those obstacles?

It’s not an obstacle as such but I do commit myself to volunteering in a number of different arts-related organisations and they do take up quite a bit of time. I’ve been president of my local art society for seven years and the art gallery is open five days a week so that is a big commitment. So, whilst I’m retired I don’t have as much free time to pursue a creative life as I would like. However, I think it’s important to foster the arts and it’s my way of giving back so I’m pleased to volunteer. It’s also a great way to network with positive, energetic creative people. It energises me.

How do you prioritise your creativity? Do you want to prioritise it more or are you content with where you’re at?

It depends on what I want to accomplish. When I had the burning need to write Anna’s War I decided to flip my day and write in the morning and do all the day-to-day jobs and other commitments in the afternoon. I rose early, went for a long walk, had breakfast and I was at my desk with a cup of coffee at 8.00am sharp. I wrote one chapter per day. Sometimes it only took 30 minutes other times it might have taken two hours or more. The first draft of Anna’s War was written in seven weeks with 36,000 words. The backbone of the story never changed but it is now 62,000 words as I wrote subsequent drafts and did more detailed research.

When I write my next historical fiction novel I will do the same process as it worked for me.

What inspired you to be a writer/creative?

I always need a purpose to write. That’s just me; I don’t write for the sake of writing. I’m rather pragmatic that way. It can be newsletters for the art society, marketing pieces, newspaper articles for our town’s local paper but it has to have a purpose.

I enjoy writing my travel blogs as my purpose is to share my long-distance walking experiences with family, friends and fellow walkers. After walking all day and whilst recuperating I recapture the day in the blog and find the right photos to accompany the piece. It’s my creative outlet whilst on holidays.

With Anna’s War I had a vital story to tell of how an ordinary girl and her family managed to survive against all odds living under fascism. I wanted to put the women and girls at the forefront of the story as they played a major role during the war in the Netherlands and they have largely been ignored or under portrayed in history.

What’s one big dream you have for your creativity? Share your wildest, grandest dream even if you think it’s unattainable.

I’d love to write many award-winning historical fiction novels. That’s the pipe dream. The reality is I’d love as many people as possible to read Anna’s War.

Do you have any exciting news/events etc. you’d like to share?

Four months after Anna’s War was released it had to be reprinted as there were only about 50 books left in Australia. It confirmed to me that the book was getting ‘traction’.

I’ve enjoyed being a part of the Riveted Press community led by Rowena Beresford. We have a private FB site which we can share information and be supportive of each other and Rowena guides us. As we are mostly debut authors it’s a valuable resource.

The other private FB site is the 2025 debut kidlit group. I’ve learned so much from it and I’m so glad they reached out to me after Anna’s War was released.

Thank you so very much for joining me, Di! Big congratulations on Anna’s War going to reprint! That’s a fantastic sign that it’s doing well, and I cannot wait to read more of your historical fiction novels.

I’m in awe of all the wonderfully creative things you do, from watercolour painting, to knitting, writing, and more! I’m also glad to hear I’m not the only one with too many balls in the air – I think for some of us it’s just the way we work :)

And your travel blog is such a wonderful way to not only share your experiences with others but to also document your days in a beautifully creative way. I imagine it encourages you to soak up each and every moment.

Readers, you can connect with Di and her work via the links below, and don’t forget to do your thing to show your support – tap that heart, restack, share, subscribe, comment, borrow or buy Di’s book and follow along on her creative journey! Every bit of support helps and is very much appreciated!

Connect with Di and her work …

Website

Instagram

Facebook

Di’s book:

Anna’s War written by DJ Taylor and published by Riveted Press.

Holland, 1943: In the last eighteen months of World War II, 14-year-old Anna’s life becomes a perilous world of secrets and danger. Her town in German-occupied southern Holland is transformed into a war zone, where trust is rare, and courage and resistance are everything. When the Nazis begin arresting local men and deporting them to work in German factories, Anna’s father hides in a cramped, secret cellar beneath their home. Even the youngest of his children don’t know he is there.

Then Anna meets Karl, a young German translator, and his piercing gaze and unexpected kindness leave her conflicted. Against her better judgement, she is drawn to Karl and begins to believe he can be trusted – especially when he keeps her father’s hiding place a secret from Horst, the ruthless Nazi officer he translates for. But as her feelings deepen, so do the risks. One misstep could unravel everything Anna and her family have fought to protect.

Anna’s War is a gripping tale of resilience, forbidden connection, family loyalties and the growing bravery of a young girl thrust into the deep shadows of war. Can Anna protect her family or will the cost of trust prove too great in a world torn apart?

This interview series will be switching to video interviews next year, which I’m very excited about!

And so I’m on the lookout for more participants for 2026. I’m looking for creatives of all kinds to interview and chat with me about creativity and success, and how you define those things.

Reach out if you’d like to be a part of the What does it mean to live a creative life? series or if you’d like more information.

I acknowledge the Darkinjung people as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which I am writing from today. I walk, talk, write, and create with respect on this land, and I acknowledge the enduring connection the Darkinjung people have with this Country; I thank them for their care of this Country, and I pay respects to the Elders past and present, and extend that respect to any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people here reading or listening.

The official release date for Narm-Jaap: A Flinders Street Station History is 31 March 2026! Scroll to the end for pre-order links.

Narm-Jaap: A Flinders Street Station History written by me, illustrated by Dylan Finney, and published by Lothian Children’s Books (Hachette Australia imprint).

Narm-Jaap tells the history of the land that Flinders Street Station in Naarm (Melbourne) stands on.

That history begins way before 1788 when the British arrived. The connection the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung and the wider Kulin Nation have with this significant site has endured and will continue.

As with Tubowgule: A Sydney Opera House History that came before it, my hope is that Narm-Jaap has a positive impact with its truth-telling and exploration of place from more than a Western perspective. The aim with the Our Lands series as a whole is to honour the Traditional Owners of the lands we live on in this great big continent known as Australia, and to show readers the importance of history and Country and how we can respect and learn and grow with those things in mind to enable a better future for us all.

Here is the stunning cover:

What do you think?

Leave a comment

Once again, how incredibly lucky am I to have Dylan Finney as the illustrator for Narm-Jaap: A Flinders Street Station History?! His art is stunning and adds so much depth to this story.

Pre-order

Apparently pre-ordering a book can be great for an author as it can be an early indicator of success. I mean, I don’t think it’s the most important thing ever, but it is a very helpful way to throw your support behind an author.

So, in saying that, if you are able to support me and the release of Narm-Jaap by pre-ordering a copy, I would very, very much appreciate it.

Here are some pre-order links.

AU links:

Dymocks

Readings

Booktopia

QBD

The Nile

Amazon

And of course, I always encourage supporting local independent bookstores where possible, so do reach out to yours and ask them to order it in for you. Here are links to my two fave local stores:

Umina Beach Book Nook

BookFace Erina Fair

And here’s a link to a site where you can search for indie bookstores near you:

YourBookstore.io

NZ Links:

Mighty Ape

Fishpond NZ

UK links:

TG Jones

Amazon UK

Blackwell’s

Bookshop.org

Foyles

Waterstones

No US links at the moment that I’m aware of, but I will update you all if Narm-Jaap gets a US publishing date.

Finally, if you’re aren’t able to pre-order Narm-Jaap: A Flinders Street Station History, you can still show your support by liking this post, leaving a comment (I’d love to know what you think of the cover!), restacking or sharing around.

Your support means the world to me.

I acknowledge the Darkinjung people as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which I am writing from today. I walk, talk, write, and create with respect on this land, and I acknowledge the enduring connection the Darkinjung people have with this Country; I thank them for their care of this Country, and I pay respects to the Elders past and present, and extend that respect to any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people here reading or listening.

‘A gentle fable about living life to the full. Some creatures live for decades or even centuries, but mayflies live for just a day.’

Tiny Dancer is a beautifully tender picture book written by award-winning children’s creators: author Patrick Guest and illustrator Mateja Jager.

This gentle yet powerful story is about the lifespan of a mayfly named Konomi. With comparisons to animals like a whale who can live up to two hundred years old, we discover that a mayfly lives for just one day.

We join Konomi on her journey as she emerges from the river, spreads her wings and marvels at the world she’s been born into.

Her life is short but full of joy as she joins her sisters among the treetops where they dance with a million others.

Konomi will be lost in the crowd

and she will spin,

and hum,

and float.

The poetic language pairs perfectly with the stunningly delicate and intricate illustrations, and the colours divine and magical.

Tiny Dancer is a story of the lifespan of a mayfly, but more than that, it’s a celebration of life and enjoying the wonder of each and every day. A soothing yet powerful read that took me completely into the world of Konomi as I read along.

Tiny Dancer is written by author Patrick Guest and illustrated by Mateja Jager, and published by Dirt Lane Press (a WestWords imprint). Published in August 2025, I received this copy for review.

I acknowledge the Darkinjung people as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which I am writing from today. I walk, talk, write, and create with respect on this land, and I acknowledge the enduring connection the Darkinjung people have with this Country; I thank them for their care of this Country, and I pay respects to the Elders past and present, and extend that respect to any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people here reading or listening.

This will be the last Creative Living Journal for 2025.

Though I will still be popping into your inbox with updates (a book cover reveal will be heading your way VERY soon!), the December What does it mean to live a creative life? interview, which features Anna’s War author DJ Taylor, and possibly a little bonus post here and there.

I want to say a huge thank you to all 331 of you who support me here and through all my creative endeavours. It means the absolute world to me that you’re here on this journey with me.

(This is sounding very final when it really isn’t because I will likely be in your inbox next week and the week after too, so no need to get teary, dear friends.)

Anyways, enjoy Creative Living Journal #53, which is the last for the year and the last in this exact format because it will be a new, exciting series and format in the new year.

Monday

Working on illustrations for my picture book titled One Word – making good progress and I’m really loving adding in all the little details like plants and flowers and books (of course).

It’s soothing and fun and I can listen to podcasts or audiobooks or even have a show or movie on as I work.

Tuesday

A few weeks back I shared a note about the dictionary.com word of the year, which was 67 (six-seven) …

When I shared that news with my kids that were indeed very pleased.

And now we have the Macquarie Dictionary word of the year, which is AI slop.

AI slop referring to the absolute crap generated by AI. It feels fitting given the huge rise of AI this year.

I also quite like the Honourable Mentions:

• medical misogyny

• attention economy

Do you have a word that’s felt particularly relevant this year?

Leave a comment

Wednesday

Last kindy session for Mister 5 before he starts ‘big school’ next year. We had a lovely morning tea for all the parents and future kindy students. I’m really impressed with how the school has been so prepared for the new students.

When Miss 8 started we were still living in a Covid world, which meant that school orientation and prep was very different, so it’s nice to experience all of this with Mister 5, while also being fully aware that he’s in good hands at the same school as his sister.

A huge giveaway!

I’ve mentioned the Debut KidLit Crew before, but for those who aren’t aware, it’s a group I’m a member of for KidLit authors releasing books in 2025. It’s such an amazing group where we can chat and support one another on this fun and crazy ride of becoming published authors or illustrators.

One of the members came up with a brilliant idea to run a Christmas giveaway, which is live over on Instagram.

You have the chance to win 25 signed books from debut authors and illustrators!

I LOVE a book giveaway and recently won one myself (I’ll share deets on that below). There’s nothing better than a whole bunch of books being delivered right to your door, and even better when those books are FREE.

You can click on the image below to check out all the details on how to enter.

(Giveaway open to Australian residents only.)

Speaking of giveaways, I recently won 6 picture books thanks to via her Substack ! I was so surprised and excited to have won, and the books arrived on my doorstep at the end of the week.

What a wonderful Friday.

My kids and I have already been diving into reading them all. Mister 5 picked out A Loo of One’s Own by Eleri Harris as his first pick, which should be no surprise given his age group obsession with toilet humour. And you know what? This was much more enjoyable for me than the usual poo books we have in our collection 😁

Thank you so very much, Karys. And readers, if you’re an educator, librarian, parent or just a lover of children’s literature then is a must-read newsletter.

Wrap up

The year is winding down, but I still have SO much to do. This past week has been spent at appointments and school activities (with more to come over the next couple of weeks). I’ve been working on illustrations that are due in a couple of weeks, my husband and I have managed to get some of our Christmas shopping done (though not all) and I’ve been prepping for and thinking about what next year is going to look like for me.

This year has seriously flown by! Has it felt that way for you too?

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Looking back, I’ve achieved SO much and have so much to feel proud of. My debut picture book was released in March! I turned 40! I did a heap of author events and school visits! I went on the radio for the first time! I edited and proofread a bunch of incredible First Nations manuscripts!

And so much more.

There were also failures and mistakes. Things that didn’t quite take off like I’d hoped. Things I feel I didn’t do enough of. But that’s just life, right? That’s called being busy. That’s a part of being a working creative and a mum and trying to juggle all the things.

I doubt it will get easier next year, but I do think I’ve learnt a lot in 2025 that I can take with me in the new year.

Now is a fantastic time to jump into the archive and catch up on anything you’ve missed. You can access that here.

And it’s a great time to upgrade to a paid membership too if you’ve been thinking about it. You’ll be able to catch up on all the posts before they start up again in the new year.

I acknowledge the Darkinjung people as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which I am writing from today. I walk, talk, write, and create with respect on this land, and I acknowledge the enduring connection the Darkinjung people have with this Country; I thank them for their care of this Country, and I pay respects to the Elders past and present, and extend that respect to any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people here reading or listening.

One whole year of writing this journal! (According to google, 2025 has 52 weeks and 1 day, so maybe I should be celebrating next week’s journal instead … But then it would be well and truly over a year and I want to celebrate now! *Imagine I’m stamping my foot like a toddler* … So we will celebrate now! Okie dokie?)

How have I managed to keep this thing up for a whole year?

Chaotic consistency.

I say chaotic because there have been times when it’s 10pm on a Sunday and I’m finishing it off before midnight hits (ahem … much like this one) because I was determined to get it out on a Sunday as planned.

But then other times I’d have it ready to go and scheduled by Friday.

These journals have been filled with ups and downs – last week versus this week is a prime example – and along the way I’ve learnt so much about my creative processes (or apparent lack of) and how much my work varies week to week.

It’s been eye-opening and therapeutic in many ways, and it’s been great practice for my writing in general.

I’m still deciding how I’ll move forward with these journals in the new year. Perhaps I’ll move to fortnightly and focus more on a specific theme with each one. Maybe I’ll break it up into sections based on theme or topic. Or maybe I’ll just keep it going like this. It’s all up in the air right now and full of possibility while I’m in this lovely stage of completion and a feeling of success for keeping it going for a year.

I’ll keep you all in the know, and do reach out if you have any suggestions or thoughts, but for now, let’s dive into the happenings of the week …

Monday

Shit day.

Shouldn’t have talked about what a great week last week was because this one sucks already.

Working on illustrations.

In the evening I attended the Aura Parker CBCA Central Coast event held at Bookface Erina! Okay so this part was lovely and wonderful despite the fact that I’d forgotten it was on on this particular day (we often have our CBCA meetings on a Tuesday so I’d just assumed it would be a Tuesday even though it was on my calendar and everything … An effect of the shit day I suppose), and had booked in for a Pilates session so it meant I had to leave early.

But I still managed to hear all of Aura’s wonderful talk and have her sign 3 of her books for my kids. I also got to have some brief chats with CBCA friends who were all very lovely and supportive as I complained about my shit day 😅 Thank you, lovely friends for listening to my whingeing.

You’ve probably already heard of Aura Parker, author/illustrator extraordinaire, but if not, Aura is the author/illustrator of Bowerbird Blues (among others), which was the ALIA National Simultaneous Storytime book in 2024. There are now three Bowerbird books in the series with a fourth to come out next year!

Any guesses on what colour theme book four might be?

Leave a comment

Tuesday

UGH.

Struggling.

Did some reading to try to get out of my funk but still struggling. Might need to just call it a day.

This book delivery did brighten my day somewhat though! Hooray for the arrival of Lexie Moon & the Space Day Disaster by Melissa Garside.

You might recall Melissa Garside was the latest participant in the What does it mean to live a creative life? interview series. If you missed it, you can check it out here:

Wednesday

Mister 5 had another kindy session.

I was in and out all day with the kindy session then preschool then two afterschool activities for Miss 8 and picking up Mister 5 from preschool in between.

Even though I was home in between a few of those dropoffs/pickups, I hardly got any work done. Partly because it’s really not been my favourite week and I’ve been struggling, and also because trying to focus while knowing I need to pop out again within the next hour is hard.

Bit of this kinda energy anyone? 👇

Wrap up

Since I’ve been catching up on work the last few days and spent all of Saturday working away, we decided very last minute to attend an event at our local library. The library is brand-spanking new, and the event had popped up on my radar via our local writing festival Words on the Waves. The event was called Being Human in an AI World, which of course is a topic of interest for me being a creative and seeing the effects on the work of creatives already, and it’s also a topic of interest for my husband Nugwagon who’s a software developer.

Though really, if AI isn’t on your radar you must be living under a rock, as they say (pretty please can I join you?).

Plus, my daughter’s music teacher was performing, there was live art being created, dancers, poetry and more, so our little family of four were all excited to head out and experience something new and different on our Saturday night.

I wasn’t sure how Miss 8 and Mister 5 would go. I’d assumed they’d last maybe an hour, and that that hour would be filled with lots of ‘I’m bored’ and ‘Can we go home now?’ But surprisingly, they had an absolute blast and didn’t want to go home at all. Miss 8’s favourite things were seeing her music teacher perform, eating lots of snacks thanks to the seemingly never-ending very long table of food, and watching a toddler run around and giggle while speakers were on-stage.

Mister 5 loved the table featuring some butcher’s paper with painted circles and ovals where people could draw their own face and write their name, the little play area that had a toy washing machine and washing line with tiny pegs to hang clothing, and of course, the snacks.

It seemed there was something for all of us. Nugwagon might have found a new barber, and we bumped into an old school friend.

And I thoroughly enjoyed hearing the poetry and the speakers. Especially Professor Simon Buckingham Shum who touched on things like long-term use of AI causing cognitive atrophy, the worldwide assessment crisis in education, and the choices we can have in regard to AI.

One choice is to refuse its use altogether. Which is what I was doing until recently.

Another choice is to use it, but use it smartly. Shum talked about how you can give AI permission to push back instead of it always telling you you’re doing a great job. And to also use it as a sounding board, a kind of talking-out-your-ideas helper. But not using it to do the thinking for you.

Simon is Professor of Learning Informatics, and inaugural Director of the Connected Intelligence Centre. He brings to his work a career-long fascination with the potential of software to make thinking visible. His applied research sits at the intersection of the multidisciplinary fields of Human-Computer Interaction, Educational Technology, Hypertext, Collective Intelligence, Computer-Supported Collaboration, Learning Analytics, and AI in Education.

I must admit, I’ve been feeling unsure about whether it’s a good idea for me to use AI at all, and that’s a big part of why I rejected it for much longer than my peers. But the way I have been using it since I decided to give it a go, has been in the ways Shum described. I use it to plan and break down my ideas into a structure because that’s something I can’t always see clearly. The ideas and the content are mine, but AI can help me arrange them into something workable. (I may have also asked it how to win the lottery, but I’m afraid it did not divulge any super secret strategy in that regard.)

While I’m happy with that level of use, I am concerned about the future of AI, and how upcoming generations will come to rely on it. Especially as a mum with two young children. They’ll grow up in a world where AI has almost always been at their fingertips, and that’s worrying because we’re already seeing it heavily used in some classrooms.

But, events like this one, reassure me that there are plenty of people out there still appreciating human-made creativity, and that there are ways in which we can hold onto our critical thinking skills.

Our biggest challenge will be passing that onto our children. One big thing I feel we can do as parents is to have conversations with our kids about how useful technology can be but also the dangerous effects it can have on us. And also showing them the ways in which we use technology and don’t use technology.

We’ve already started these discussions with our children, and only time will tell what kind of impact AI will have on them, but I do hope that with education around these topics that our children will be able to make smart choices in the future and well beyond the time when they’re so reliant on us.

Your turn

How are you dealing with discussions around AI and young people in your life? And how is AI affecting you and your work life?

Leave a comment

I acknowledge the Darkinjung people as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which I am writing from today. I walk, talk, write, and create with respect on this land, and I acknowledge the enduring connection the Darkinjung people have with this Country; I thank them for their care of this Country, and I pay respects to the Elders past and present, and extend that respect to any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people here reading or listening.

Yesterday I made my way out to Quirindi where I stayed the night before a full day of school sessions at Wallabadah Public School. There were six schools from the region who came together at Wallabadah for a cultural session in Gamilaraay language (the language of the region), a sporting session, my author workshop, and more.

It was so wonderful! All the students were lovely and eager to participate, listen, learn, and engage.

Honestly, though I’ve been doing sessions all year, I still felt anxious to the point of nausea this morning. A big part of that is because though I know what I want to say and share with the students, I never quite know how the day will run.

Plus, being in a new place, with new faces is always a challenge. Then add on potential technical difficulties with presentations (yup, my PowerPoint presentation did not happen today, but luckily it was all totally fine for me to do without because I was prepared 😅) and not knowing beforehand whether students will be engaged or interested, of course there’s going to be anxiety.

School visits are great fun and so rewarding, but also unpredictable.

But, I am happy to report that I survived! And I feel like I actually thrived too. I was in my element, and a big part of that was because the students were amazing.

I even shared my illustration process, which includes showing the below incredibly messy, very rough storyboard …

… and then showing the next stage where it looks a little neater before sharing a finished illustration.

And even when showing that first incredibly messy, very rough storyboard and telling the students that it was totally okay to have a little giggle at the mess because the mess is part of the process, the students made comments like:

‘Don’t be so hard on yourself!’

‘It looks great!’

‘You’ve done such a good job!’

‘You should be proud of your drawings!’

😮

What a beautiful, lovely, kind, thoughtful bunch of primary school kids. The teachers and staff members were all lovely too.

I know, I know, I’m gushing, but it was such a highlight. This is the good stuff about being an author, truly.

Tuesday

Although yesterday was such a fabulous day, today I am exhausted.

Rest day.

Kind of … still some admin and emails and messages to catch up on.

Wednesday

Mister 5 had a kindy session today, and he walked right on in with barely a hug or a backward glance. I am so happy he felt so confident, and this prep will help so much when he officially starts big school next year, but where has my baby gone??

Finalising a few things for Narm-Jaap: A Flinders Street Station History! Friends, I’m not even sure I’ve told you yet that that’s what book two in the Our Lands series is called – have I?? Well, if not, now you know, and now you can start to get excited! It’ll be off to the printers NEXT WEEK!!!

The latest What does it mean to live a creative life? interview is live!

Check it out if you haven’t already – you’ll read about Melissa’s many creative endeavours, and her passion for word origins (including the meaning of the name Melissa! Because, when you get two of us together of course we’re gonna talk about it!).

Wrap up

Before I wrap up my chaotically creative week, some exciting news was announced on Thursday. My dyuramin (sister) Dayle is one of the recipients of the Write It Fellowship!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know that’s a ton of exclamation marks, but I am SO freaking excited for Dayle!

Here’s a one-sentence pitch for the story that got Dayle selected:

After Dark by Dayle Fogarty: An urban supernatural story following a woman who survives possession and uncovers the monsters haunting regional Australia.

There’s also another Fogarty who was selected! (Naomi, are we related?!)

Check out Dayle’s Substack (Functionally Feral) too while you’re at it and hit subscribe to follow along on her writing journey and show your support.

This was kind of a big week.

I didn’t realise it during each moment. It’s only now looking back and reading over my journal before sending it off that I can see a lot of good, happy, big things happened.

I’m not always great at celebrating or pausing before moving onto the next thing, so that’s probably why I’ve hardly stopped to think about how I had a great school session, my littlest had his own great school session, my second book Narm-Jaap is going to the printers, my dyuramin had a BIG win, and my kids each had a win of their own at their ninja warrior class through the week.

Small and big wins, many moving forward things, and just an all round good week.

This is my pause and reflect.

Here I can share with you all and celebrate and stay in the moment, even if for just a little minute.

Your turn

I’m of the era of having bought a pretty piece of paper with my name on it that included the meaning of my name, which ended up laminated and hung up on the wall of my bedroom. Oh, those were the days! Were you of that era too? It fit perfectly with my sunflower bed spread and Leonardo DiCaprio and River Phoenix posters.

And, after speaking with Melissa Garside about word origins and name meanings, I’m curious, what does your name mean?

Leave a comment

I acknowledge the Darkinjung people as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which I am writing from today. I walk, talk, write, and create with respect on this land, and I acknowledge the enduring connection the Darkinjung people have with this Country; I thank them for their care of this Country, and I pay respects to the Elders past and present, and extend that respect to any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people here reading or listening.

I don’t know about you but growing up I never would’ve believed living a life of creativity – actually earning money from writing and art! – was possible. Yet here I am with my debut picture book that came out in March 2025 with two more on the way. The possibilities feel endless and it’s incredibly exciting! But it’s also tricky to manage writing and art along with my editing work and being a parent. Let’s not even get started on other things like being social and looking after my health. It’s a juggle, and I never quite feel on top of it.

But, I am working on figuring out how to better juggle all the things, and a big part of that is by reading and learning from others. So, in this series, we’ll look at how fellow creatives are living a creative life and what that means to them. We all measure success in different ways and we all have differing priorities, but there’s much we can learn from one another, so let’s dive in.

Meet Melissa …

Melissa Garside is a children’s author who brings together her lifelong love of language with a deep understanding of what children love to read, drawn from her years as a teacher. Melissa lives south of Sydney with her family, their hilarious golden retriever and some entertaining free-ranging chooks. When she’s not writing or teaching, she enjoys getting her hands dirty in the garden, immersing herself in nature and using her family as guinea pigs for her recipe-free kitchen experiments. Melissa also sheepishly admits to collecting books about words and subscribing to online dictionaries.

Melissa’s first two books in the Lexie Moon junior fiction series are out now from Riveted Press.

Melissa (great name! 😁), what creative things do you do? Tell us about your creative pursuits whether you classify them as your job or hobby or side hustle, we’d love to hear about all of them.

Sure is a great name! Did you know that it comes from Greek, meaning honey bee 🐝?

Yes, and I’ve always loved the meaning. I interpret it as: sweet but can sting when needed 😁

Totally agree! And it has prompted a lifelong fascination of bees and honey.

One of my big interests is etymology, or word origins and finding out about where words came from and how they got into the English language. Not sure if you’d call that a creative pursuit, but it certainly is a passion.

These days, my main creative pursuit is definitely my writing. I try to treat it as a part-time job—one that gives me a lot of enjoyment. I’ve been writing seriously since 2018 and I’m lucky enough to now be able to dedicate a good chunk of time to writing and to all the other tasks that come with being a published author.

Other than that, gardening also fills my creative cup and gets me off my computer. I wish I had more time for it. I tend to spend a good deal of the summer holidays drawing up landscape plans for my garden, but the reality is always a little more weedy and wild. My other creative pursuits that I’m able to occasionally find time for include recipe-free cooking, photography, graphic design, printmaking, music and watercolour, in descending order of skill.

Okay, I’m jumping in again because I have to ask: what is recipe-free cooking? I’m so intrigued!

LOL! My son would just say ‘kale meatballs’, but really it’s just going with your intuition and experience of which ingredients work well together and just using what you have available. For instance, if you have a glut of kale in the garden, try to hide as much as possible in the meatballs—NB there is a point of no return in this example, if you don’t want your meatballs to be green. To be honest, it’s much the same as experimenting with words or paints. It requires observation and a willingness to try new things. Occasionally the result is barely tolerable, but every so often you produce something wonderful.

This sounds like a fun way to cook and experiment in the kitchen – I love it! It’s definitely a creative pursuit!

Where are you at with your creative pursuits right now? How do they fit into your life?

This year I’ve been very fortunate to have my first two books published by Riveted Press; the first two titles in the Lexie Moon junior fiction series. My life as a published author has kept me quite busy with launches, promotions, author talks and school visits. I’m lucky to be able to work part-time as a teacher, so that leaves me a bit of time for writing. I also try to get up around 5:15 am (5 am seems far too early) and do a little bit of writing before getting ready for work.

What does living a successful creative life look like to you? Are you living that right now? Or working towards it?

In 2020, I wrote down what being a successful author would look like to me. It’s interesting to look back at that now. At that time, I thought that success would mean having at least one published title, doing author talks at schools and libraries, and being an active member of the writing community. I’m delighted to say that I have achieved all of these things.

Some of the other indicators of success from 2020 are yet to happen, including writing more books, presenting at a writers’ conference or festival, and mentoring early career writers (although I have done this unofficially). It’s also been a dream of mine for a long time to have a CBCA shortlisted book. Fingers crossed that one day that will happen!

Are there obstacles you feel are in the way of you living a successful creative life right now? If so, what are they? What do you think would help move past those obstacles?

It would be nice to think that the only things holding me back are money and time, but the truth is that I create some barriers for myself, mostly in the forms of procrastination, distraction or self-doubt. I’d like to think that I’m getting better at handling all of these things. In terms of self-doubt, I’ve found that when I do something that could be a little daunting, like presenting at schools and author fairs, I tend to get positive feedback and that gives me the courage and confidence to keep going. One thing that has been really positive in my first year as a published author has been the support and kindness I’ve received from everyone, from friends and family, from school kids and teachers, and from the wider KidLit community.

Can you remember why you wanted to become a writer? What is it that drew you to this kind of creative work?

In one way or another, I’ve always wanted to be a writer. I’ve loved words for as long as I can remember. I always loved writing stories in primary school, especially when I could write whatever I wanted. I even wrote plays and magazines to share with my school friends and a family newspaper that I used to make the grown-ups pay for.

High school shook my confidence for writing fiction. I continued writing stories, but stopped sharing them with other people. In fact, I stopped telling anyone that I was writing or that I dreamt of being a writer. That was until a couple of years ago, when I made the decision to prioritise my own dreams. I realised that if I didn’t, there’d be no chance of them becoming a reality. I also wanted to be a good role model for our son, so he could see that with a bit of work and perseverance, you can reach your goals.

What’s one big dream you have for your creativity? Share your wildest, grandest dream even if you think it’s unattainable.

Ha ha! Wildest and grandest dream? Well, it’d be great to host writing retreats in far-flung and inspiring places around the world! Not sure if that will ever happen, but in the future, I’d love to combine my teaching and writing to mentor and guide aspiring and emerging authors. I’d love to have enough books and writing experience under my belt that I’d have some valuable pearls of wisdom to share with others. One day …

Do you have any exciting news/events etc. you’d like to share?

No news that I can share at the moment, but I can report that I’ve had a really amazing year. Not only with two published books under my belt, but I’ve also had so much fun with book launches, school visits and festivals, and also being involved with the Author Pen Pals program. Another highlight has been getting to meet many of the other authors and illustrators from Riveted Press, as well as Rowena Beresford herself. I still can’t quite believe that I know these fabulous people.

Thank you so very much for joining me, Melissa!

I love that you have so many creative outlets alongside your main one (writing) – it fits with the theory that creativity fuels more creativity. I keep adding to the list of new things I want to try (ceramics, oil painting, sewing, knitting), and the more I try, the more I find new things!

And thank you for sharing your struggles with procrastination and self-doubt. Those are two things I also struggle with and feel many other creatives would too. It’s not easy, but you’re right that positive feedback along with a support system make a big difference. I’m (quietly) hoping that the more school visits I do, the easier it will get, and in a few years I’ll look back and hardly believe how much I doubted myself.

I’m cheering you on, Melissa, and wishing for those writing retreats in far-flung places – can I join?!

Readers, you can connect with Melissa and her work via the links below, and don’t forget to do your thing to show your support – tap that heart, restack, share, subscribe, comment, borrow or buy Melissa’s books and follow along on her creative journey! Every bit of support helps and is very much appreciated!

Connect with Melissa and her work …

Thanks so much for this opportunity, Melissa-Jane. If anyone would like to get in touch with me, please see my socials for contact details.

Facebook

Instagram

Website

Melissa’s books:

Lexie Moon & the Word Burgling Bungle written by Melissa Garside and illustrated by Lauren Mullinder

Lexie Moon built her latest invention, The Vocabuliser, to help people learn to say tricky words, like spaghetti and Worcestershire. She secretly tests it on her little sister with amazing results.

But the device is stolen by infamous gadget thief, Gizmo Lightfinger, who sees other people’s inventions as his ticket to glory. Out for revenge on the Inventors’ Guild after a lifetime ban, Gizmo goes on a gadget stealing spree across town. With Grandad’s help, Lexie devises a plan to catch the gadget thief and get her invention back.

Lexie Moon & the Space Day Disaster written by Melissa Garside and illustrated by Lauren Mullinder

When Lexie joins the schools Stargazing Club, she’s surprised to discover they won’t be doing any actual stargazing—but what can you expect, when the club meets during the school day? With Space Day coming up, Lexie has the answer. With Grandad’s help, she invents The Stellascope, which allows you to see the stars, even while it’s still daylight outside.

On the big day, Jamie’s uncle—popstar Oscar Buzz—has everyone’s attention, and, because of his enormous popularity, their livestream is being viewed by millions around the world. Then Lexie sees a shadow from the corner of her eye … The sky gets increasingly gloomy and dim, and Lexie knows straight away that this is no ordinary event.

The infamous Gizmo Lightfinger has escaped police custody, taken control of The Stellascope, and is misusing her device to send the world into darkness. It’s bad enough that her reputation is at stake—no-one wants to be known as the inventor of the device that stole the sun—it’s far more important that Lexie stop Gizmo Lightfinger, before he relegates the world to a night that lasts forever!

This interview series will be switching to video interviews next year, which I’m very excited about!

And so I’m on the lookout for more participants for 2026. I’m looking for creatives of all kinds to interview and chat with me about creativity and success, and how you define those things.

Reach out if you’d like to be a part of the What does it mean to live a creative life? series or if you’d like more information.

I acknowledge the Darkinjung people as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which I am writing from today. I walk, talk, write, and create with respect on this land, and I acknowledge the enduring connection the Darkinjung people have with this Country; I thank them for their care of this Country, and I pay respects to the Elders past and present, and extend that respect to any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people here reading or listening.

I also shared an illustration of my characters behind the paywall, which you can see if you upgrade to paid. There’s a 50% off deal at the moment – just AUD$2.50 per month or AUD$25 per year.

I’d love for you to join my little community where you get access to bonus posts about creativity, insights into the world of publishing, and sneak peeks into my projects.

Get 50% off forever

Monday

Cold, tired, struggling this morning.

Makes no sense that I’m feeling so cold on an almost 30-degree day, but here we are.

I’ve been thinking about how I’ll change these journal entries next year. My littlest will be starting school, so for the first time since having kids I’ll have 5 full work days every week. Wild!

So, I don’t think I’ll do a little breakdown each day. We’ll see how it evolves, but I’m excited to freshen things up for my second year of this series of posts.

Miss 8 asked if she could share some of her favourite books on my Instagram, so we filmed a new video (link below) and rewatched the one we made almost exactly a year ago. Miss 8’s reaction: ‘Why do I look so different? I look like a baby!’ She really has grown so much over the past year.

Tuesday

Final cover art for ONE WORD due this week. SEND HELP.

Just joking … all is fine. Totally fine.

I’ve been listening to the audiobook version of The Other Bridget by Rachael Johns while working on the cover. One of the perks of illustrating = I can ‘read’ while I work 🙌

Wednesday

Mister 5 had his first kindy session in preparation for next year. In our state, kindy is the first year of ‘big school’.

He had a rough drop off (cue the mum guilt), but a teacher called later to say he was fine as soon as we left. Phew. And at pickup he was happily running around and playing with friends.

BOOK MAIL! A few Debut Crew books arrived, but I only have a pic of one to share at the moment that you can see below.

For those who don’t know, the Debut Crew is a group I’m a member of for authors debuting books this year. Our group in particular is specific to children’s books. We support, chat, and cheer each other on through each milestone. I’m so glad to be a part of this incredible group.

I’ve also been interviewing some members for my What does it mean to live a creative life? interview series.

The next interview, out this coming Wednesday, is with another Debut Crew member, author Melissa Garside. Keep an eye out for it! Subscribe, if you haven’t already, so you don’t miss it.

Subscribe now

Wrap up

I sent off the cover art for One Word! I should have mock-ups next week, which is incredibly exciting! My book, with my words and illustrations, is coming to life. It feels very special, strange, and kind of unbelievable!

Eight-year-old me, 15-year-old me, 26-year-old me – they’d never believe it.

Those past versions of me had no idea how to make my dreams come true. Hell, the child and teenage versions didn’t even dare to think that being an author/illustrator could be reality.

I think I’ve said this, or some version of it, before, and perhaps some of you are tired of me saying it. But I keep looking back at the past versions of me because it reminds me to be grateful for where I am right now. It shows me just how far I’ve come, and fills me with gratitude.

My author/illustrator career is just beginning, and while I’m enjoying the present moment, I’m also feeling so excited for what’s to come.

Your turn

What would past versions of you think about where you are now?

Leave a comment

A couple of photos from my week.

1. My Loki boy a little tired and sad (but still freaking adorable) while his sister Nea was at the vet.

2. Some flowers I received on publication day for Tubowgule – now well and truly dried but still looking gorgeous.

I acknowledge the Darkinjung people as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which I am writing from today. I walk, talk, write, and create with respect on this land, and I acknowledge the enduring connection the Darkinjung people have with this Country; I thank them for their care of this Country, and I pay respects to the Elders past and present, and extend that respect to any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people here reading or listening.

Friends, I’m deep in that final stage right now. You know the one. It’s where everything’s in place, it’s time to fix the details and polish the edges, yet somehow you’ve just realised it’s November and suddenly Christmas shopping feels much more urgent than finishing the final pieces of your project.

I’m working on the final art for my fiction picture book, which will be out in August 2026.

It’s called One Word – have I told you that already? The story is about Myra, a child spending time with her grandfather, and during that time discovering that he can speak his first language.

Myra desperately wants to learn the language she’s heard her grandfather speaking during whispered phone calls, but Pop refuses to teach her. Myra will discover some of Pop’s painful past and together they’ll find a way to move forward.

One Word was inspired by my own experiences with my Mununjali grandfather who could speak his first language but was afraid to pass it on. Though the story is fictional, it’s deeply personal and a story of my heart. Perhaps that’s part of why I’m dragging my feet. Bringing this story to life is so important and I’m afraid of messing it up.

My initial character sketches for Myra were, frankly, atrocious. She looked like a creepy gnome and not at all like the sweet, curious girl I had in my head.

But I kept going. I tried again, and then again, even when that familiar fear whispered that I wasn’t capable of creating the beautiful characters I’d envisioned. And somehow, in amongst all the scribblings and crossed out attempts I found my Myra.

After that, Pop came easily. He looks a lot like my pop, of course, though this one wears a cosy orange cardigan, which is not something I think my pop ever would’ve worn. But it’s perfect for Myra’s pop.

Only a handful of people have seen my illustrations of Myra and Pop, so here’s a very special first look:

I’m sorry to tuck the illustration behind the paywall, but I’m not ready to share my characters publicly just yet, so this one’s a little treat for my paid members. If you’d like to join us, I’ve added a special deal below – just click the link to see your options.

Get 50% off forever

Read more

Monday

I sent off a cover colour rough for One Word (the fiction PB I’ve written and am illustrating) along with a final art spread sample.

Now I’m off to have a cyst cut out. A little bit terrified, to be honest – last time they tried (over 5 years ago while I was pregnant, mind you) it was the worst pain I’ve ever experienced. The local didn’t do a whole lot and I could feel everything.

…

Okay, friends, all is okay! The local worked, the cyst is out and I’ve just got a few stitches for the next week or so. Phew.

Now: tea and some rest for the rest of the day.

Tuesday

Today’s the first day in a while where I feel kind of chill about my calendar. It won’t last (let’s be real) and I’ve still been working all day, but the anxiety usually pressing on my chest feels lighter.

I’ve also been booked in for an author visit at a rural school in NSW in a couple of weeks – I’m so excited! These are exactly the kinds of events I want to do more often!

Wednesday

While eating breakfast this morning, I suddenly remembered that I’d had a story idea pop into my head while drifting off to sleep last night … or maybe the night before? And what I do remember is telling my sleepy self: you’ll definitely remember this in the morning.

Do I remember it?

Of course not.

I can’t even remember which night it was (or why I just walked into my bedroom, for that matter).

Maybe I was dreaming. Maybe it was brilliant. Maybe it involved dogs flying planes – who knows??

…

OH WAIT!!! I JUST REMEMBERED IT!

Oh, the power of journalling! Hear this, friends: write things down! It’s good for the brain, mmkay?

And it is a good story idea. One I probably won’t work on for a while, so let’s note it down (because we know now how good it is to WRITE THINGS DOWN) for later.

The Speech Pathology Book Award winners were announced today – Tubowgule didn’t win, but I feel honoured to have just made the shortlist, particularly alongside Country written by Aunty Fay Muir and Sue Lawson, illustrated by Cheryl Davison and published by Wild Dog Books.

A big round of applause for all! 👏👏👏

P.S. The announcement video (linked below) is absolutely adorable!

Wrap up

As per usual there was plenty of chaos this week with stitches, sketches, and story ideas in amongst it all.

I’m booked in for another author visit, I was reminded of Tubowgule making a shortlist (even if it didn’t win), I sent in some illustration work, and I remembered a pretty cool story idea I’d thought lost.

Small steps, showing up, and WRITING THINGS DOWN (😆) = progress!

Some Substack posts I read and enjoyed this week

I Read A Lot

Stories of all shapes and sizes

Hello from the West! I have been over in my birth state of Western Australia for the past week and will be hopping on a plane overseas today. With no checked luggage!! So, no room for books!! Thank goodness for my eReader.I Read A Lot is a reader-supported publication. To support my work and access the full archive, please consider becoming a paid subscriber…

Read more

10 months ago · 5 likes · 4 comments · Karys McEwen

Receipt from the Bookshop

Receipt from the Bookshop #117

Good Morning and Happy Halloween, if you’re ok with that. I’m half and half on it these days. I do like to see niche carved pumpkins (ours are Batman themed this year), I love an excuse to watch or listen to ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’, I really like that there is suddenly one of those bags of snack-size Twix bars in my house, even though I’m not a…

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10 months ago · 151 likes · 14 comments · Katie Clapham

Drawing a Blank

Trunk or Treat?

I don’t have 5 things from the studio this week! It’s been busy, busy around here. I wanted to finish the art work above for my agencies #ABLArt series of October prompts. This is for “Trunk or Treat.” I’m pretty happy with it. Leaned into some pattern making and graphic shapes…

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10 months ago · 8 likes · Jacob Souva

Notes From The Sunshine House

A sneak peek inside The Friendship Book

A little while ago, I wrote a poem for fun, and sent it to my editor, Clare Hallifax from Walker Books, who thought it’d make a nice children’s book. Lovely Nicky Johnston has created the sweetest characters and world for this poem. I adore everything about this book, including the clothbound cover…

Listen now

10 months ago · 3 likes · 3 comments · Zanni Louise Arnot

The Book Muse

The Friendship Book by Zanni Louise, illustrated by Nicky Johnston

Title: The Friendship Book…

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10 months ago · 1 like · 1 comment · The Book Muse

Your turn

How’s YOUR week been? Have you ever had a story idea you were sure you’d remember … and then you totally forgot?

Leave a comment

I acknowledge the Darkinjung people as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which I am writing from today. I walk, talk, write, and create with respect on this land, and I acknowledge the enduring connection the Darkinjung people have with this Country; I thank them for their care of this Country, and I pay respects to the Elders past and present, and extend that respect to any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people here reading or listening.

Finishing up prep for a podcast interview that’s happening on Wednesday.

Pool in the afternoon because it was freaking hot. My first swim of the season!

A couple of posts I read and enjoyed today:

Drawing a Blank

Taking on Risk

1. SOME ART MAKING…

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a year ago · 29 likes · 5 comments · Jacob Souva

Danielle Binks

When authors disappear

I was doing a spring-clean and culling of my bookshelves, and decided it was time to give away my stack of Margaret Clark YA novels…

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10 months ago · 24 likes · 15 comments · Danielle Binks

Tuesday

Working on illustrations from bed today.

Finishing off backmatter for book 2 in the Our Lands series … AND I will hopefully be able to share more info about it very soon, including pre-order links!

One of my favourite things to do with Mister 5 is drawing and scribbling away in sketchbooks while Miss 8 is in her music lessons. See pic below for some sketches from this evening. Going with a shark theme because Mister 5 brought along a book all about sharks, plus we’d just been to the Shark & Ray Centre, so it seemed fitting.

I baked a loaf of damper bread – because of course I needed to do this with writing and illustration deadlines looming this week …

The kids hated it, so most of it got sent over to my sister’s place, though I’ve had no feedback from her so perhaps she hated it too 🤣 At least it looks good! Right??

Wednesday

Listening to Learn Play Thrive podcast before I head off to record an episode later today – for some reason I wasn’t going to mention this … I like to feel prepared, so why did this initially feel like something I shouldn’t share with others?? Does this fit with how in the past (and clearly still today) I’ve tried to avoid appearing as though I’ve got lots to learn – wanting to seem like I’m already aware and educated on something even when I’m not … silly because we all need to start somewhere. Is it because I’m listening on the day of my interview and didn’t want anyone to think I was leaving things last minute (which I often do and am trying to let go of the shame that has previously accompanied that)? Because that’s not a bad thing at all – to have that familiarity right before going to record for the podcast myself is actually a great way to go about prepping.

After all that, the podcast recording went so well! Here are a few pics from the studio. It’s so freaking cute! And the book I’m holding in the fist pic is ECA Essentials: Literature in Early Childhood by podcast host Linda. Such an incredible resource for early childhood teachers wanting to learn practical ways to incorporate picture books into children’s learning.

I’ll share links to my episode once it’s up next month!

Wrap up

I’ve been frustrated this week trying to finish off a cover colour rough for my PB that I’m illustrating – felt like everything I tried sucked and at one point threw myself down onto the floor like a toddler and proclaimed to my husband that ‘I can’t do it!’ Happy to say I got past that stage and ended up with something I’m reasonably positive about.

Of course, there will still be feedback to come from my publisher and editor and things are likely to change, but that feels like the easy part to me. The hard part for me is always getting that first version on the page. And maybe that’s because I’m not really a ‘proper’ artist in that I haven’t had any kind of official art education, or maybe it’s just a process many illustrators go through and it’s the way we move forward. I don’t know. But it does seem to be my process to feel hopeless and like nothing is looking any good and to think I won’t possibly be able to do it before I can push through and create something I like.

Your turn

How’s YOUR week been? Does your creative process frustrate you as much as mine frustrates me?

Leave a comment

I acknowledge the Darkinjung people as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which I am writing from today. I walk, talk, write, and create with respect on this land, and I acknowledge the enduring connection the Darkinjung people have with this Country; I thank them for their care of this Country, and I pay respects to the Elders past and present, and extend that respect to any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people here reading or listening.