Words and Nerds Podcast
Dani Vee from the excellent Words and Nerds podcast interviewed me recently. If you’d like to listen to my mellifluous and authoritative voice while I talk about inspiration, characterisation and motivation – with a particular focus on Gap Year in Ghost Town – then go here. After that, have...
Speculate 18
It was an honour, being asked to be one of the guest writers at the very first Speculate Festival, held on Saturday 28 April 2018, and such was the wave of enthusiasm at the end of that inspirational, exhilarating day that I thought I’d record a few impressions...
Tips for Author Visits to Schools
As an author of books for young readers, I’m often asked to visit schools for presentations, residencies and workshops. I enjoy doing this sort of thing, and not just because they get me out of my home and into the world where I can interact with real people...
More Good News!
Hot on the heels of last week’s Aurealis Award ‘Best Fantasy Novel’ shortlisting, ‘Gap Year in Ghost Town’ has bobbed up again, included on the CBCA’s 2018 Notable Books List. Yay!...
Aurealis Awards Shortlisting!
Good news, everyone! I’ve managed to rack up two Aurealis Awards shortlistings! Gap Year in Ghost Town has been shortlisted for Best Fantasy Novel and my short story ‘First Casualty’ (from the groundbreaking ‘Begin, End, Begin’ anthology) is shortlisted in the Best Young Adult Short Story category. These are my...
How to Prepare for a Martian Invasion
Let’s face it, a Martian Invasion is pretty much inevitable. It’s just a matter of time before our solar system neighbours finally press the big green ‘Go’ button and blast their way Earthwards. After all, they live on a really dreary piece of real estate. All that red dust!...
A Spooky, Hilarious Christmas Book?
If you want a great holiday read, look no further. Available here....
Why Do We Value Books That Make Us Cry More Than Books That Make Us Laugh?
Some time ago, I was in a room of thirty or so YA writers, editors and other industry people when one writer declared, ‘I know you’ll all agree with me that what makes a good book is a chance for us all to have a massive cry.’ She was...
How To Prepare for the Robot Uprising
I know I’m not alone when I say that I can’t wait for the day when robots are everywhere, making life easy for us so we can lie on the beach or sleep in until noon or apply stucco to walls or whatever we’d like to do if it...
Some of the references in ‘Gap Year in Ghost Town’.
Community Sherlock – various incarnations Cards Against Humanity Star Wars 1984 M. Python Pulp Fiction Doctor Who Oscar Wilde LoTR Superman Wizard of Oz Three Musketeers Telestrations The Sweeney Dorothy L Sayers Arrested Development The Castle CS Lewis Erza Scarlet Lord of the Rings Silence of the Lambs Shane...