I grew up in Melbourne, Bangkok and Albury.
After training as a teacher, I worked in Perth, the hills of Nepal and downtown Tokyo.
Now I live on the south coast of Western Australia.
Travelling
I love travelling and we’re lucky to have family living in interesting parts of the world.
In 2002, I walked the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea to research my novel-in-progress, Shadows Walking. My first picture book, Photographs in the Mud was an unexpected outcome of this trip. Since publication in 2005, Photographs in the Mud has received great feedback from readers around the world and in 2010 it will be published in Japanese.
Sydney University’s, Professor Jim Martin has used Photographs in the Mud in international workshops (Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, China…) as a resource for workshops promoting peaceful discourse. To find out more about the Kokoda Track or see photos of my trip, click here. Or to read one of Professor Martin’s papers, click here.
At Home
I love swimming - at the beach or doing laps in a pool. And I love walking through the bush or along the beach. When I swim and walk I often get good ideas for stories. I’m also a stickybeak and love people-watching in cafe’s.
The south coast is a wild, beautiful place. When I have time (and the ocean is calm), I love snorkeling and scuba diving. During late winter/early spring beach walks I often see whales and sometimes dolphins. One day a whale swam right below my friend and me. It was wonderful, but also a bit scary…
Reading and Writing
I’ve always been a bookworm and I’m sure that shaped my love of writing I’ve kept some stories from primary school, but I didn’t begin writing seriously until I left school. My first book, Dolphin Song was published in 1995. Now I have 12 books in print with several more on the way. My books are about things that interest me; different cultures, the environment, friendship, being brave, turns in the road and taking chances. I like trying to explore things from different perspectives. Four of my books are written from more than one point of view: Dolphin Song, Choices, Lighthouse Girl and Photographs in the Mud. I read or write every day and can’t imagine a world without books.
