What inspired you to begin writing children’s stories alongside your educational books?
I’ve always liked writing and have lots of ideas, stories and part-projects on my computer, including children’s stories. During the Covid lockdown, I added photos to some of my stories and sent them to my granddaughter. I wondered if I could find an artist who would join me in producing my stories as picture books, so after lockdown, I asked around and ended up with two artists. My first two picture books were released in the following two years. I have now self-published four picture books with more on the way.
My time in the last two years has also been consumed with a more serious writing project, a book on ‘New Zealand’s Kiwi’ (due for release later in 2025). This non-fiction book looks at all five kiwi species - where they live, their characteristics and behaviour, their predators, and what is being done to help this endemic bird. The book has something for everyone, especially older children, teenagers and interested adults.
Where do you find inspiration for your stories and characters?
Story ideas come from everywhere: comments made, things we see and a vivid imagination.
‘Royal Blue’ was sparked by me seeing a blue starfish and meeting a vibrant young girl called Lany, when visiting Fiji. There is an environmental message about wildlife belonging in their natural habitat and a page at the back includes a few facts on starfish.
‘Sammy the Rooster’ is influenced by the amount of rubbish society creates. I had a pet rooster when young and which influenced the story along with seeing roosters and hens at picnic areas and similar places. The book’s last page outlines of what rubbish is and how we can reduce it.
‘Robot Ted Forgets His Head’ is rhyming fun. The idea came from me saying one day, ‘I’d forget my head if it wasn’t screwed on’, then ‘I do so much like a robot’. It took a while to get the story right and I’m glad to say, children love it. Of course, I was compelled to pop in a few facts about robots on the last page.
‘The Gonnstirr Monsters of Gonrockman’ evolved from seeing images in rocks, trees and nature. The rhyming story has a message about observing instructions, and I’ve included sound words to help build language skills. On the last page, there are some beach/water safety tips.
