In a couple of weeks I will be flying to Far North Queensland to speak at schools and libraries in the Cairns district, which is very exciting. I will be conducting Writers Workshops as part of National Year of Reading 2012 celebrations. The library sessions are open to all and are free. I hope to … Continued
While I was in Brisbane a few weeks ago, I received an envelope of letters from Year 3 students at New Farm State School. Their teacher had read Dragonkeeper to them, and they had written to tell me that they enjoyed it. Some of them also drew some lovely pictures, inspired by the book. Here … Continued
Readers sometimes imagine that a writer spends all her time sitting at her desk writing. In actual fact, writing new words would take up less than half of my working life. A lot of ‘writing’ time is spent rewriting and editing. And then there are all the other things. Over the last month, I have been … Continued
Anyone who purchases a copy of Blood Brothers at the official Melbourne Writers Festival bookshop, Dymocks at Federation Square will also receive a copy of a lost letter from Ping. Blood Brothers is the 4th book in the Dragonkeeper series, and it is set 400 years after the end of Dragon Moon. Readers often ask … Continued
The Melbourne Writers Festival will soon be here and I am making several appearances. Melbourne’s Hidden Dragons Walks Let me open your eyes to the preponderance of dragons in Melbourne’s public spaces, from stone guardians to festive silken mascots. Along the way, I will share the mythology of these fantastic beasts and their abiding presence … Continued
The London Olympics are in full swing, and this year is the first time that every participating nation has sent women competitors. In another first, the USA has more women in their Olympic team than men. Overall, female athletes still only make up 40% of contestants, and it has been a long, hard road to … Continued
The Olympic Games are nearly upon us. My second Olympic blog is about the Marathon. Ancient Inspiration The founder of the Olympic Games, Baron de Coubertin, wanted an event that would be a real Olympic highlight. He invented the Marathon to fill that spot. Inspired by the ancient Greek messenger who ran from the Plain of Marathon … Continued
In the final countdown to the 2012 Olympic Games, I thought I might write a couple of blog posts on the subject. This is the first. The list of Olympic events varies a little from one Games to the next, but the list is pretty stable. In earlier Games, there were some rather odd events. … Continued
It’s 30 days till the London Olympics begin. I have updated my book about the history of the modern Olympics, The Games. And it is now in the shops. I’m not really a sporty person, but writing this book has given me a real interest in the Olympics. I’m keen to see who will be … Continued
I get a lot of requests from young people wanting to know how to become a writer. This is how! You take every opportunity to write, such as entering competitions like these. Write Across Victoria Competition For Victorian students in years 7, 8 and 9. Write a story of up to 500 words using the … Continued