Books of Mine

I’ll start at the beginning.

My first children’s novel was ‘The Cat Burglar’.  

I’d just finished writing television scripts for Australian drama series like ‘Neighbours‘ and ‘Home and Away‘ when a university colleague suggested I submit an idea for a children’s mystery to Reed Books (Melbourne) for their upcoming Mammoth Mystery series.

‘I don’t write prose,’ was my reply.

‘This publisher wants manuscripts,’ my friend said. ‘What have you got to lose?’

I was hooked. So, as I pedalled my way round the streets of Wollongong in my day job as a postman, I formulated an idea for a kids’ mystery. It involved a cranky Vietnamese man (who actually had a heart of gold), missing cats, and a boy (the hero Matt) who is suffering through the most boring Christmas holidays, ever.  

I wrote the outline, sent it off to Melbourne and forgot all about it, until . . . I received a phone call from the publisher asking for the manuscript. ‘It’s, um, not written,’ I stammered.

‘How long would it take you to write?’ asked the publisher.

‘How long have I got?’

‘How long do you need?’

‘Um,’ I said. ‘Six . . . weeks?’ 

‘Wonderful. I look forward to reading your story.’

And that was that. A crash course in writing a children’s novel. The editors I worked with – Mary Ann Ballantyne and Andrew Knight – were wonderful. They’re now the driving force behind Black Dog Books.