Thanks to everyone for entering my two competitions. There were lots of fantastic entries. The winner of the Cool Character competition is Kelsea with her character Mint Mayhemian. The winner of the Silly Sidekick competition is Sarah with her Fennec Fox named Lilo. You will both receive signed copies of my Scallywags books. Well done … Continued

Hi  Summer Reading Clubbers, Well, my time with you has come to an end. Sigh! I hope you enjoyed your time reading this blog and have learned some curious things about creating characters and stories. I visit lots of schools around Australia each year, so I might even get to meet you in person. Keep … Continued

Hi Summer Reading Clubbers, I’m not known for using normal, sensible characters in my stories. The weird and wonderful animals that feature in my books are designed to be unique and memorable. Why have a drab rat when you can have a pie-loving Pie Rat who sails on a pie ship and uses a broken … Continued

THERE IS A COMPETITION BELOW! Hi there Cool Clubbers, If you have spent any time chilling out in the pool, reading under a fan, or relaxing in an air-conditioned movie theater, then you have some idea what it feels like to be this week’s curious creature. He is a grey wolf and he spends a … Continued

Hi Summer Reading Clubbers, I hope your holidays have been enjoyable. With so many weeks between the end of one school year and the beginning of the next, it’s okay to feel a little bored at times. I know there are heaps of great books to read, but sometimes we want our real lives to be just … Continued

Hi Summer Reading Clubbers, I thought it would be good to end the year with a BANG … I mean a BITE! So far we have looked at the four main heroes of the Scallywags series. This blog will focus on a villain. He’s big, scary and notorious for chomping on anything he can sink his … Continued

Season’s greetings,  Summer Reading Clubbers, Or as Benny Banana Peel would say, ‘Jingle bells, bananas smell …’ Regardless of what you’re celebrating this time of year, we all need to eat. Food plays a big role in my books. Pies, bananas, hot chips, dog biscuits, seafood stew, carrots and corn all feature in my Scallywags books. … Continued

NEWSFLASH! THERE IS A COMPETITION BELOW! Hi Summer Reading Clubbers, ‘Shiver me sunburn, it’s hot!’ If you are in a cold part of the country, please ignore the above comment. It’s just something Hook Hand Horace would say. I’m often asked who my favourite character is. It’s hard to choose. It’s like trying to pick … Continued

Hi Summer Reading Clubbers, I hope you’ve enjoyed your week. You have probably heard the saying, Curiosity killed the cat. But have you ever heard the saying Curious creatures make really cool stories? Probably not. I just made it up. Curious creatures are often the best characters to have in a story. Why? Well, without … Continued

Hi Summer Reading Clubbers, Well, summer is finally here. Some of you have finished school for the year, and some of you still have a few weeks of term left. Whatever your situation, there is no denying that summer is a fabulous time. I love spending time outdoors – exploring, traveling and getting ideas for … Continued