Question number two was: How long does it take to write a book? I'm afraid I'm going to start sounding like a broken record (there's an idiom from another era). It depends - or rather - it takes as long as it takes. The first draft of Unpacking Harper Holt took nearly four months to write - but that was just the first draft, to become a book, it took a lot longer. Let me explain. For the first month or so, I was writing most days. I wrote new chapters early in the morning and

In the last post, I mentioned that there are three frequently asked questions, and I answered number three. I like to have a sense of order about things, so here's my response to the first question - where do you get your ideas from? The short answer - everywhere. Now, for the longer, more detailed answer. I've written four novels, one published, one on its way in 2021 with Scholastic Australia, and the other two sitting in the cabinet, each in a box, waiting patiently. I als

There are three most frequently asked questions: Where do you get your ideas from? How long does it take to write a book? How much planning does it take? I'll talk about the first two questions in another post but as for planning, well that's a bit more complicated to answer because - it depends! In 2016 I discovered podcasts. I know, they've been around for long time before '16 but I'm not always a quick with new technology - just ask my son. The daily dog walks began to syn