When did you start writing and illustrating?

I wrote my first story when I was nine. I sent it off to the Queensland University Press for publishing and received a nice encouraging letter back. When I was at Art College I wrote and illustrated  three "dummy" children's picture books, then got interested in other things until I was in my mid thirties, when I wrote the first draft of Kismet.

How do you get your ideas?

Things such as funny events, something that has happened or things I've seen, nature, people, places, all give me ideas for a story or picture book. I make notes or type them on the computer as soon as I can, otherwise I don't remember them. The important thing is to be observant and think about another point of view to a situation, then the ideas will flow. 

How long does it take you to write a story?

It varies from 2 days to a week for a short magazine article up to a few years for a novel. Kismet took 10 years to write because I had to stop for study and work.

 What sort of books do you like to read and who are your favourite authors?

When I was a child I loved to read Enid Blyton and children's magazines like Jack and Jill and Playhour which came out weekly. Now I enjoy travel, memoir, motivational and spiriual books. Authors that have really inspired me are: Bryce Courtenay, Frank McCourt, Michael Newton, Chris Stewart. Favourite children's authors are Roald Dahl, Lynley Dodds, Dick-King Smith, Janet & Alan Ahlberg. 

 What advice do you give to young writers?

Read lots of books, magazines, newspapers, anything that interests you. Reading gives you the tools to be able to write. Write letters, cards and keep a diary to write in the day's events, your feelings or funny things you've seen. This helps you to practise expressing yourself and to be observant.  Don't worry about what others will think of your writing. The most important thing is to enjoy putting thoughts onto paper and using your imagination to paint a picture with words. If you enjoy writing the story, others will enjoy reading it. Everyone has something interesting to say.