SOXIETY
​(Book 1 in the BOOK OF KIN series)
written & illustrated by Tamlyn Teow
proudly published by Riveted Press/Yellow Brick Books

AVAILABLE NOW!

Visit https://thebookofkin.com/ to discover even more about Tamyln and her brilliant, ground-breaking vision behind SoXiety. 

Visit rivetedpress.com.au/ to learn more about Riveted Press, the publisher behind SoXiety. 

Thank you to artist, Tamlyn Teow, for stopping by my blog to tell us about her magnificent new book 'SoXiety'.

                  Q&A with TAMLYN TEOW

1. Your new book SoXiety is published with Riveted Press. It's a graphic novel/picture book, and the first in a series of five books called 'The Book of Kin' series with each volume showcasing a different theme that 'celebrates cohesive kinship'. Can you share briefly what SoXiety is about?
 
Sure thing! SoXiety explores issues around social media and the current state of our society. The book aims to open discussions around the themes of anxiety, depression and dopamine addiction. It is told through the perspective of ‘X’, as the character navigates through a dystopian world set within a concrete jungle. The reader follows the protagonist’s journey of deterioration and regeneration.


2. What prompted you to write SoXiety in the first place? And you don't have social media of your own, like the themes of the book. How did you research this book and get to know the harms of social media to portray? Why and when did you choose to not have social media? 

The seed of the idea for SoXiety stemmed from my own experience and struggles within our current cultural landscape. Having grown through the technological revolution, I’ve had the privilege of experiencing life with and without technology so the movement and change hits much harder. I’ve always been a deeply sensitive person which is both a blessing and a curse. Emotions, thoughts and situations are often amplified and even as a child, I’ve had a vivid imagination but tend to catastrophise as well. I tend to get focused or fixated on things, am competitive, and worry endlessly about others or what they think. As a result, those pre-existing traits are a bad combination with social media.

From daily observations, I am confident that I’m not alone in my struggles. The addiction to screens and devices is evident, the need for attention, shortening attention spans, reduction in self-awareness and companies hungry for marketing/data mining- are all serious issues that should be addressed. 

I got off social media 18 months ago as I noticed how much my mental health was adversely impacted. This decision was made so that the time and mental energy that was previously dedicated to “Likes”, “who commented/liked/follows someone”, comparing, scrolling - can be diverted to other areas that would help me grow rather than deplete my soul. Thus, the research for this book was based off my personal experience but also, reading others’ accounts online, watching presentations by Jonathan Haidt/Yuval Noah Harari/Johann Hari/Scott Galloway/Tristan Harris and documentaries such as The Social Dilemma. 
 
 
3. What was the process of writing and illustrating SoXiety like? And how did it come to be published with Riveted Press?
 
It was very fun and therapeutic to create the book. Mainly because my publisher allows a lot of creative freedom! It was surreal as the idea was very abstract and I never thought anyone would understand my vision or be interested as it’s experimental. When I pitched it to Rowena Beresford, publisher at Riveted Press, it was more of a conversation in passing rather than a formal proposal.
But she expressed interest so I put one together.

She took it under consideration, took a leap of faith and offered me a contract. It’s always a pleasure and highly rewarding collaborating with Rowena (she’s pretty much a one man band at Riveted Press!) since I worked on the very first project she offered.

​There was a lot of constructive conversation back and forth for around two years, discussions on how to improve the flow and clarity of the narrative and decisions on the format of the printed product. We have worked very closely together for a while now so I have a lot of trust in her.


4. You are so talented at book covers and illustrations. Why do you do what you do? Why do you love illustrating and creating books?

That’s so kind of you, thanks very much. I would like to take this opportunity to point out though, that talent only takes you so far and if you don’t work on your craft, you won’t progress. Getting to this point has been the result of a lot of failing, falling, rejections and getting back up just to inch forward only a little. I often feel that whatever others can do, I have to work three times extra hard to achieve that milestone.

But I try to keep in mind the importance of the compound effect and adopting atomic habits, setting small but achievable goals so you don’t get overwhelmed and give up. At present, I have so much more to learn and improve on, which is the beautiful thing since I do fear complacency or people finding out I’m actually not very good at all!

In my opinion, everyone is talented in their own way, it’s probably the grit and what you love so much that you’re willing to endure not quitting, that varies among individuals.

I love being an artist because it allows me to live a thousand different realities, to constantly learn and have no two projects that are the same. It helps me collaborate with other incredible artists who are just as passionate and most importantly, I get to learn so much about a vast amount of different areas. It’s also a compulsion, if I don’t do any art in a day, I get a bit odd. Ha-ha!

Growing up around a culture that disapproves of this career and having been in a line of work with a mould I didn’t fit in, does make this path more sacred to me.
 
5. What is in the pipeline? Can you share anything you are working on next?

Thanks so much for asking! Some books I illustrated that are released soon include...
 Bronte’s Big Business by Liane Young, out with Wombat Books in June,
a cover I did for The Disappearing Circus by Kate Gordon and Helen Edwards (published by Riveted Press in July),
​and My Pet Archie by Karyn Savage (published in August by Riveted Press).

And, there are sequels to SoXiety coming in 'The Book of Kin' series! 

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

I cannot believe it. I am in utter shock. Since I was SIX, I have wanted this. Dreamed of it. Fantasised about it. Working and WORKING and STRIVING toward this milestone.

And it's here.
I did it.
I cannot believe it. I am on Cloud Nine and nothing seems real.
I got my dream.
My dream did come true.
I never thought it would. I always hoped and wished and waited and waited ... but it actually did happen.
Dreams CAN come true.

I am so excited and happy to announce my debut picture book will be published by the glorious Wombat Books in 2027.

I am indebted to fabulous Rochelle and the whole Wombat team. I can't wait to continue this journey with them and see my story come to life.

I cannot wait to, in due course, share more details about my picture book with you all.
I've wanted this for so long, and along this long, long, long journey, so many people have helped me and supported me and guided me and encouraged me.

To my friends, and my family.
To my author and illustrator pals.
To my mentors. To those who were kind.
To those who helped lift me up.

Especially my band of Fairy Godmothers -- I want to thank particularly Wendy Orr and Sally Odgers who have, for almost twenty years, been in my corner. I always wanted to make you both proud of me. You have read my stories, given me feedback, given me advice, egged me on, and treated me as an equal writer - thank you for extending your hand behind you and helping me up the ladder.

And to Clare McFadden, my friend who goes above and beyond for me and all of my stories. You are a shining light and I am so grateful for your help in bringing this story to life. x

To my mum for always believing in me and who read me stories at bedtime and my gran and grandma who I wish could be here to see this.

To my friends Elyse and Nick and Charlene and Amela and Jenny for supporting me and validating my journey.

And most of all, to my Lachlan who makes this all possible. I can have my dreams, because you have my back. I love you.

I am so emotional and giddy right now. No, no cool, blasé, 'too cool for school' post and photo. I'm going to enjoy and relish every step of this whole process.

I'm doing this for the little boy who sat in his room and read stories and drew pictures and wrote his own stories and stapled them together to make books.

We did it, little Brenton. We made it.

I'm going to be an author.

Thank you Rochelle and Wombat Books for this amazing opportunity. And I cannot wait to celebrate the next step in this journey - and so grateful for the love and support and messages and comments I have received.

I am floating right now.

I cannot wait for the world to see my first picture book.
​
xx
With love,
B

 
1. Your debut chapter book Lexie Moon and the Word Burgling Bungle was recently released, published by Riveted Press and with illustrations by Lauren Mullinder. Where did the idea for this book originate and what was the process like of writing and rewriting it?
I feel very blessed to have had the privilege to work with Rowena from Riveted Press and to have such a talented illustrator as Lauren turn my words into pictures. I’m still pinching myself that I’ve actually had my book published!
 
The first glimmer of an idea for Lexie Moon and the Word Burgling Bungle came to me when a publisher gave me the advice to write about what I know. To be honest, I immediately panicked, thinking that I knew absolutely nothing. But after I’d calmed down a bit, I remembered that I do know one or two things about words and language. That got me thinking and I started to play with words, and one word especially kept popping up in my mind--lexicon. That’s where the character’s name came from, and the story grew from there. It didn’t take me long to have a complete first draft of a picture book manuscript about a word-stealing boy called Lex, which you may notice is very different to the final 13,000-word junior fiction book I ended up with.
 
I made some major changes to the format and plot based on feedback from a couple of my critique buddies, and at the same time I decided to make my young inventor a girl. After that, it was about three-and-a-half years of writing, editing and revising before I had a manuscript that was ready for submission.
 
Over those three-and-a-half years I was still learning a lot about the craft of writing and was adjusting my process as well as the manuscript. I’d love to say that I set out armed with a fool-proof process, but that simply wasn’t the case. I loved writing Lexie Moon, but I think I may have enjoyed the editing and polishing process even more. Manipulating the text until you have just the right words in just the right place makes me feel a bit like a sculptor and I just love it! In particular for this book, I really enjoyed the final back-and-forth with Rowena, getting the book as polished as we could before it went to the printers. I learnt so much from her.
 
 
2. Zany humour and wordplay and inventions are featured in your book. Were you an aspiring inventor growing up? What prompted this to feature in the book?
I wouldn’t say that I was an aspiring inventor as child, but I’ve always loved design. Dad was an electronics technician, so I grew up surrounded by gadgets and components, and some of that has seeped into this book. I did once try to invent a talking robot—it was a cardboard box covered in aluminium foil with a tape recorder inside. For some reason, it never went further than the prototype.
 
I’ve always had a love for the ridiculous and plays on words, and still do. I wanted Lexie Moon and the Word Burgling Bungle to be the sort of book I would have enjoyed reading as a kid. I wanted my protagonist to be an inventor who created ridiculous, impossible gadgets. Deciding exactly what the gadgets would be like was informed by the needs of the plot and also a bit of research of real and imagined gadgets online.
 
 
3. The wonderful Riveted Press published Lexie Moon and the Word Burgling Bungle. How did your story come to be published by them? What was the publishing experience like for you, as a debut author, working with Riveted to bring Lexie Moon to life? How is it now that your first book is out in the world? 
 
One of my critique buddies, Matt Samuel, had been offered a contract from Riveted Press after having an editor assessment with Rowena at the CYA Conference. I had been planning to do an editor assessment at the 2023 CYA Conference, and Matt recommended booking one with Rowena. I’m very glad I did. Rowena asked me to make a couple of changes and submit the complete manuscript, which I did within a couple of weeks.
 
I really had no idea if Riveted Press would accept my manuscript, and had prepared myself for disappointment. So, when I woke up early one morning in March 2024 to an email offering me a contract, I was absolutely delighted. I still can’t quite believe it!
 
As a debut author with no prior experience of the publishing industry, there was I lot I didn’t know and still don’t. Riveted Press is a small publishing house, in which Rowena wears many hats, from publisher, to managing editor, and even does the typesetting and design of the books. Working with her has been amazing, and she really has a very thorough understanding of all of the ins and outs of getting a book into the world.
 
There have been so many highlights throughout the process of having Lexie Moon published. Among them were seeing the completed typeset with all the illustrations and fonts in place. That was a real thrill! Getting a box of books in the post shortly after that was also amazing, as well as seeing it in the shops. But I would have to say that the kind and generous reception the book has received from reviewers, booksellers and especially kids has been unexpected and truly wonderful. Watching kids’ faces as they listen to the story and answering their curly questions about the plot of my book is really something special.
 
 
4. Do you have a typical writing process? What is your writing space like? 
As I mentioned above, when I was writing Lexie Moon and the Word Burgling Bungle, I was still finding a writing process that worked for me. I’m sure I’ll keep refining it as I develop my craft, but I have found that some things work really well.
 
At the very beginning of the process, I collect ideas—sometimes by making a Pinterest board, but usually by writing it in a notebook. Like Lexie Moon, I have dozens of notebooks. I have notebooks for general ideas and for taking notes at workshops and courses, as well as individual notebooks for each book I’m working on. I use them for brainstorming, solving story problems, plotting out the narrative and drafting sections of the text. I use a digital notebook to get ideas down when I don’t have a physical notebook, but there is something about pen and paper that is much more conducive to thinking.
 
A lot of the thinking, scribbling and plotting for Lexie Moon was done in a notebook wherever I happened to be at the time: at a swimming lesson, waiting for an appointment, or sitting in a cafe. I also squeeze in some writing in the early hours before work and am lucky enough to have a day or two a week in which I can dedicate a couple of hours of writing time.
 
Once I have an idea for the plot and have done some initial brainstorming, I usually do a character analysis on a large spreadsheet, which includes everything from appearance and family background to hobbies and favourite foods. Even if I never use a lot of the information in the actual story, these details really help me when I’m making decisions about how a character would behave in different situations.
 
I then start work on my first draft, writing my way between these points. Sometimes I have a very good idea of exactly how I’ll get to each point before I start writing, but often the precise details are revealed as I write. I tend to rewrite as I go, and often end up with ten or more versions of the early chapters by the time I get to the end of the complete ‘first draft’.
 
One of my favourite parts of the writing process is narrative problem solving and making sure that what happens in the story makes sense for the character and setting. This can take quite a bit of brainstorming, researching and staring out of windows. Depending on how difficult the problem is, I might bounce some ideas off a very patient family member, which could be anything from working out what sort of invention Lexie should make, to how a character acts in a scene.
 
I have dreams of one day building a writing studio, but for now I’m in a corner of the loungeroom, which I have transformed into my writing space. My desk is near a window overlooking our backyard, which is frequented by a variety of small birds. It’s a great space for daydreaming and coming up with solutions to story problems. To really get into the zone and to help me concentrate, I usually light a scented candle and put on some rain sounds.
 
 
5. How did it feel when you saw Lauren Mullinder's terrific illustrations for the first time?
What an honour to have someone turn the pictures I had in my head into actual illustrations! The first illustration I saw for Lexie Moon was a pencil sketch for the front cover. It was sooo exciting to see Lexie and it was probably at that moment that the whole my-book-is-going-to-be-published thing really sank in! Lauren’s illustrations throughout the book are fabulous. She’s really captured the look of the different inventions and made them better than I could have imagined.
 
6. Can you share anything about what is next for you? Is there anything else you are working on?
I’m very excited to be able to tell you that the second book in the Lexie Moon series, Lexie Moon and the Space Day Disaster, is planned for publication in August this year! Now I’m really pinching myself! I’m not sure if there will be more, but hope so as I’ve really enjoyed hanging out with Lexie and her friends. I also have a couple of other projects that I’ve been working on for a while, including a portal adventure, and have several other ideas I plan to work on down the track.

Thank you for stopping by my blog, MELISSA GARSIDE! And congratulations on 'Lexie Moon and the Word Burgling Bungle' now available from Riveted Press. The second book in the series 'Lexie Moon and the Space Day Disaster' is due for release in August 2025. 

Visit Melissa online at melissagarside.com

THE GROWN-UP'S GUIDE TO PICTURE BOOKS
written by Dr Lara Cain Gray
Illustrated by Tim Ide & Lorena Carrington
Published by MidnightSun (Anna Solding, Publisher)

Selling out within days of its release, the brand-new must-have book for teachers, librarians, authors, artists, and all who love kid lit is back in stock. What a pleasure to take a peek behind the scenes with all THREE creators of this marvellous reference resource and find out how it all came to be ...

1. Lara, you are championing your newly created phrase 'picture book activist'. How did you become a picture book activist in the very first place, and how did it lead to the desire (or perhaps the must!) to write The Grown-Up's Guide to Picture Books? 
 
I have always thought picture books were wonderful, with clever language and beautiful illustrations. I am also an academic and a librarian and have reviewed books for many years, so a rich appreciation of reading is pretty much just a part of who I am! But when I had my own children and was in a position to regularly revisit picture books in particular, I started to become aware of the curious contradictions in our wider discourse about the format. On one hand, we assign picture books a huge responsibility – to help children learn to read, foster a love of reading, and even contribute to a child’s moral development. And then suddenly, when our children’s vocabulary expands a little, we begin dismissing picture books as books for babies and pushing our children on to ‘real books’. As adults then, reading a picture book becomes a sort of guilty pleasure, at best, or, at worst, a drudgery to endure for the sake of our children’s literacy. And yet, most adults who grew up reading can remember a special favourite book from their early years and reflect on it with joyful nostalgia. It’s all very complicated!
 
But I think that one of the reasons many adults have this conflicted relationship with picture books is because they don’t truly understand them. If you’re not a teacher, for example, or working in publishing, you may not get the chance to learn about the science of picture book creation. My ‘activism’ is about elevating respect for picture books – and their creators – and destigmatizing adult enjoyment. They have so much to offer readers at all ages, including providing big ideas in short packages (perfect in this time-poor era) and being accessible to a range of literacy levels, just for starters.
 
The Grown-Up’s Guide to Picture Books was designed as a well-researched but light-hearted go-to guide to what makes a great picture book great. Delivered as an A to Z, parents, teachers or any lover of books can dip in and out to learn more about covers, endpapers, narrative arcs or white space, and how these things impact storytelling. There are ‘talking point’ questions for each section to open conversations with the young readers in your life, or just to help you on your own deep dive. #picturebookactivism is about ensuring that anyone and everyone can enjoy these incredible, sophisticated texts.
 
 
2. Lara, what was the process like of finding a publisher that 'got' your manuscript, and working with MidnightSun?  

The manuscript was in development for about 4 years before I shared it with anyone. It then went through a couple of manuscript assessments and professional rounds of editing and beta reading, so there were a lot of drafts and versions! When I finally started submitting it to publishers, most gave the same response: “we love it, but we don’t know how to market it”. Publishing is so much about how to position the product to reach the right readers, and this one is a bit ‘niche’. I was so grateful when Anna Solding at MidnightSun agreed that it had a special something, and she was willing to take a risk on getting it out there. Her faith has been rewarded as it’s had such a great reception!
 
The MidnightSun team is excellent to work with. They offer a more personalised and collaborative approach than some of the bigger operations.  It’s very common that authors and illustrators of picture books don’t ever meet each other, for example, but I was lucky enough to get little sneak peeks along the way as the illustrations were created. We were all part of the editing and design conversations. 

3. Lorena and Tim, how did you both come onboard this project? Two illustrators is rare - what was this collaborative process like for you both?
 
LORENA: I had worked with MidnightSun on a previous picture book (Satin, with Sophie Masson), and Anna approached me with the idea of working collaboratively on the book with Tim. At first I assumed she meant we’d be tag-teaming the illustrations: Tim would do a full page, I’d do a spot, and vice versa. But no! She wanted us to create each illustration together - a challenging proposition as Tim and I live in different states and had never met before. Not to mention the fact that it’s pretty unique way of working!

So, Tim and I agreed to try a few sample illustrations to see if we can work together and make the illustrations work too of course, and honestly, it turned out to be the most joyful process. And an absolutely flash of genius on Anna’s behalf. If Grown-Up’s Guide had been illustrated by one person, there would have been limited scope for variation away from a particular style, but with two of us working on every page, it meant we could let our own styles ebb and flow as needed. Tim and I went back and forth over Messenger and email a lot, and finally caught up in person when I was in Adelaide last year. It helped to sit down over a few coffees and bounce ideas off each other in real time. In the end we had a decent plan of attack, including pages of scribbled notes detailing what we’d illustrate for each page, and who would take the lead for each element of the illustrations too. Tim drew his elements by hand, and emailed them to me, and I wove them them together with my photographic montage to create the final illustrations.
 
TIM: This is the first time I have work collaboratively as an illustrator with another illustrator. The only other two that I can think of at this point were the famous American fantasy illustrators the Brothers Hildebrandt. When Anna Solding the MidnightSun publisher first approached me for this project, I assumed that Lorena and I would split the amount of illustrations in half and work separately. Anna then said no, together. After the initial surprise of this wore off, I realised that this would work out well. Lorena's style is combining elements from many different sources, and my drawings would be just one of those elements. As such, it was pretty easy and good fun. We had a lot of freedom, so we tried to come up with as many bonkers ways of interpreting the text as we could. I was determined to embed small deep cut jokes in where I could, and certainly paid homage to many strange picture books that I remember from my childhood. 

4. Lorena and Tim, what made you agree to illustrate this book? What appealed to you about it? Do you describe yourselves also as picture book activists?
 
TIM: I'm usually keen to illustrate any picture book, and a book that is about promoting how to write a picture book appealed to me greatly. I have a great interest in writing myself, and any book that can assist me in this process is valuable to me. Also, there was a lot of scope to give one's imagination free reign. While I do a lot of historical illustration (which I enjoy), it is fun to be able to do nonsense illustrations of book borrowing bees and Freud and Jung going mining that require a minimum of painstaking research.

LORENA: If anyone has spoken with me for more than five minutes about books and illustration, they know how much I love working collaboratively. It gives me such joy to create something new with somebody else. I think it’s the closest we can come to stepping through to Narnia; the act of dreaming up a new world in shared creative work, something that would never exist without that act of collaboration. So when Anna to asked me to work with both a writer (Lara) and another illustrator (Tim) on this book, how could I say no? I also loved the manuscript, which helped too! Lara is so incredibly knowledgeable about the world of children’s literature, and then to have been able to take all that knowledge and turn it into such a concise and accessible text took such extraordinary skill. I knew this book was going to be something incredibly special, so of course I wanted in on it!

And yes, I would absolutely call myself a picture book activist. Picture books are so important; yes to childhood literary development, but also in nurturing so much of what makes our human, in creating space spaces and comforting routines, and having fun! I could go on about it, but Lara says it all much better in the book. Go buy it! Oh, and one of my greatest recent thrills was going to a teacher librarian event at the amazing Gleebooks in Sydney, and they had made “Picture Book Activist” stickers! I wear one proudly on my backpack.
 
5. Is there anything you feel is lacking in picture books today? And, what has the picture book market perhaps seen a bit too much of lately?
 
LARA: I don’t think there is much lacking, in terms of thematic gaps. In fact there’s more choice than ever, though there is always more room for diversity. It’s heartening to see a gradual increase in books representing many different cultures, families, and bodies, for example, and serious issues-based books alongside funny animal stories. It could be argued that there’s some imbalance in the market, with lower priced celebrity-penned books or TV tie-ins dominating sales over some of the gorgeous carefully-crafted original stories. There are trends that seem to saturate the shelves for a period of time – unicorn books or kindness books or fart books – but trends move on and ultimately I think really good stories are always the ones that last the test of time.  
​
LORENA: Ha, are you trying to get us into trouble Brenton?! I could mention the recent controversy over ‘celebrity authors’, or the worries about AI in the creative sphere, or the influence of governments (ahem, USA) over the books that children are able to access. But really, in terms of what is actually being published right now, especially in Australia, I think we’re in a bit of a golden age for picture books. If you want a book about anything, whether it be fart jokes, cosy bedtime read-alouds, obscure science facts, a lost dog that will make everyone cry, artsy Dadaist clever nonsense, succinct distillations of massive world events, or more fart jokes, you’ll find it. We want kids to read in a world where so many other things are clamouring for their attention, so if they can find books that grab them, that can only be a good thing right?

TIM: I would have to say that I don't really know all of the picture books in the world to really be able to judge what's missing, in my opinion at least. I would say that as a teenager growing up during the 1980s, there were a lot of beautifully illustrated books that were I guess not picture books in the traditional sense, but halfway between adult and children's. Books like Froud and Lee's Faeries (1978), David Day's Tolkien Bestiary (1979), Knights by Julek Heller (1982) and similar. I don't see this sort of thing much anymore, but perhaps I'm not looking in the right places. As far as too much of, I don't know! I don't know that there is too much of anything picture book wise, maybe just not enough of some things!
 
6. Can you name 3-5 picture books everybody should read, and why?

TIM: There's probably many more than 5, but if I was putting together an Australian child's library, I would include classics like Mulga Bill's Bicycle, by Banjo Paterson, illustrated by Deborah and Kilmeny Nilend, The Giant Devil-Dingo, by Dick Roughsey, The Bunyip of Berkeley's Creek by Jenny Wagner, Faeries by Brian Froud and Alan Lee, and lastly Fungus the Bogeyman by Raymond Briggs, for that sense of existential dread that is even more unsettling than a blue collar monster from a slimy underground city of opposites. These are all quite old, but they are classics that made a huge impression on me for a variety of reasons. 

LARA: Ah, the impossible question! I have been asked many times lately what my favourite picture book might be. Genuinely, I want to say to people – find the books that light a fire in you! If you love it, it’s a great book for you. I never want to dictate what is or isn’t a worthy read, even if I do have a few opinions about ‘quality’. Perhaps I can share a few favourites from this year?
 
Words That Taste Like Home by Sandhya Parappukkaran is a wonderful example to use alongside the F is for Food section of our book. It demonstrates the ways in which food in a picture book is not only about something to eat, but can represent many facets of a character’s experience – culture, language, identity, familiarity and otherness. It’s truly beautiful.
 
When The Lights Went Out by Lian Tanner and Jonathan Bentley is another that left a big impression this year. It’s a cosy sort of book about connecting with your community during a blackout. The illustrations make a suburban street completely magical through the use of light and shade, and the endpapers give a lovely intimation of the overall story. (See E is for Endpapers for more about that!)
 
Stickboy by Rebecca Young and Matt Ottley is an important book. In fact, please go and read anything created by either of them! I love the lyrical language and the otherworldly landscapes. It also includes a wordless and somewhat ambiguous conclusion that makes it a superlative conversation starter that’s suitable for older children and adult readers. (I’d link this to U is for Underlying Meanings).

And Happy All Over by Emma Quay is a must-read for sheer joy! J is for Joy in our book, and it’s something worth emphasising. As much as I love deep analysis and tormenting myself about pedagogy and social issues, picture books have such a great capacity to bring joy. Adults miss out on a lot of simple pleasure when they dismiss picture books as being only for children. This particular book captures joy in the storyline, but also the colour palette and every adorable posture and facial expression.
 
LORENA: What an impossible task! And who am I to tell you what you should read anyway? How about we compromise, and I pick a few favourites from the bookshelf sitting right behind me. One that I loved as a child: The Eleventh Hour by Graeme Base. Oh my goodness, the hours I spent hunting for tiny mice in that one… I’m sure it’s where I get my love for mysteries, anthropomorphised animals, visual comedy, secret codes and puzzles, friendship and betrayal, good food, rambling country estates, and incredibly detailed illustration. All in one book.

One that made me want to work in books: How a Book is Made by Alika. The title speaks for itself: we are taken through the creation of a book, from first idea to final product, through the editing process, layout and design, the four-colour printing process (in great detail), distribution, and bookselling. It’s somewhat outdated now, technologically speaking (the floppy disk was hi-tech!), but I still love it.

One classic that my kids adored when they were tiny, and us parents didn’t mind reading over and over again: We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michel Rosen and Helen Oxenbury. A perfect lesson in rhythm and repetition in text, and a complimentary/conflicting visual narrative in the illustrations.
One that feels distinctly ‘here and now’: I adore the detailed storylines and very gentle real-feeling relationships in Trace Balla’s books. The one I have behind me now is Landing With Wings. Perhaps it helps that the story is set in my town, and I recognise so many of the places (and people!) in it, but it just feels so genuinely and contemporarily Australian.

One that came out recently and makes me wish I still had young people around to read to: Business Chickens by Jess McGeachin. I ADORE Fran, her complete failure at corporate life, and her yearning to open a bakery instead. I see you Fran.
 
Bonus books! I asked my (now grown-up) kids their old favourites: we’ve got Possum Magic and Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge (Mem Fox and Julie Vivas) A Bad Case of the Stripes (David Shannon), Pumpkin Soup (Helen Cooper), On Our Way to the Beach (Sophie Laguna and Andrew McLean), Isabella’s Bed and Imagine (Alison Lester). Why yes, they do have good taste in books.
 
7.  What has the feedback response been like to the book? Was it as you anticipated or have you been surprised by people's reactions? 
 
LORENA: It’s always a gamble putting a book out in the world, but I had a good feeling about this one. It turns out there are a lot of people who love picture books, and are interested in how they work, and why. To have it sell out of its first print run in two days was a thrill, and I have a feeling the second print run will go the same way pretty quickly too! And the individual feedback has been wonderful - a lot of ‘where has this book been all my life?’ and ‘I’ve never seen anything like this’ and ‘I love it so much, here’s a million dollars!’ Okay, maybe not that last one, but it is very gratifying to to be part of a book that is so unique in it’s execution, while being pretty universally appealing to book lovers. What could be better than that? 

TIM: The response has been fantastic, and I hope that Lara has been absolutely delighted by it. I don't know that I had any expectations of how it would go, though I thought and hoped it would at least do alright. However it's done so much better than just alright, and that is enormously gratifying!  

LARA: I really believed in this concept and intuitively felt there was a gap to fill in between academic analyses of picture books and things targeted at children (like Parsley Rabbit’s Book About Books, for example, which I love). But when the first reviews appeared I definitely had a few days of hiding under the doona! Then suddenly people whose opinions I really respect, some of the big names in children’s publishing and teacher librarianship, were saying ‘Where has this been??’ And while no book will please every single reader, obviously, the overwhelming love for this book at all our launch events and public lectures has been pretty incredible. Most importantly to me, the feedback is not just that people like the book, but that they see it as genuinely useful and potentially a proper step towards changing attitudes towards picture book use, in classrooms and homes.
That’s just so very rewarding.

Caz Goodwin is an award-winning, internationally published children’s author.
Her books have won or been shortlisted for awards including 2024 CBCA Book of the Year (Early Childhood), Speech Pathology Book of the Year (three-five years) and the National Arts Council Beyond Words Award (Singapore).

Caz is passionate about children’s literacy and has spoken at numerous local and international festivals, conferences, community events, libraries and schools.
She heads the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) in Victoria and is on the Young Australian Best Book Awards (YABBA) council. She is also an Australia Reads ambassador.

Caz has been the recipient of an ASA mentorship, a May Gibbs Creative Time Residential Fellowship and was a resident at the Police Point Artist in Residence Program. Her books have been produced in Braille for blind and low-vision children and included in the Premier’s Reading Challenge. Caz’s books have also featured on Sarah Ferguson’s Fergie and Friends show, CBCA Storytime, podcasts, newspapers and radio.

Find her online at cazgoodwin.com 

1. Caz, congratulations on your latest picture book Little Matilda and the Lost Bunny, the third in the Little Matilda series. You have also written Dragon’s Egg, Lazy Daisy and Daisy Runs Wild and Grace and Mr Milligan.
What attracts you to the picture book form? 
I love the way picture books can create rich emotional experiences that reflect the strong feelings experienced by young children. They can facilitate important conversations and encourage language acquisition and literacy.
They are often the books that instil in young children a love of words, books and reading.
I also find picture books fun to write, and it’s a privilege seeing my words brought to life by an illustrator.
​
2. Are there particular joys, or even challenges, when writing picture book texts? 
Writing is full of joys and challenges. Trying to capture the essence of the story along with relatable characters, an interesting narrative arc, rich vocabulary and a satisfying conclusion, all in a limited word count can be challenging.
But it’s a joy when it all comes together.
The thrill of holding a new picture book, poring over the illustrations and finally reading it to children is always wonderful.

3. Is writing in rhyme a pleasure or does it prove to be hard work behind the scenes?
I’ve always enjoyed rhyme and I love writing it. To me, it’s a challenge and a pleasure. I usually write my picture book manuscripts in prose first, even if I intend to re-write them in rhyme, as it’s important that the story itself is strong enough. It also helps ensure that the rhyme doesn’t drive the storyline. The story must come first, and the words need to fit the story, not just the rhyme. One of the challenges of rhyme is getting the rhythm right. It’s important to maintain a regular beat and that the beats fall on the syllables that would be accented in normal speech. Working out the puzzle of a rhyming manuscript is half the fun.

4. Do you have a typical writing and rewriting process? Or does it vary depending on the book?
I don’t have a typical process when writing my manuscripts. It is often trial and error, finding the voice, trying a different tense or point of view. I do lots of drafts. It usually takes me a long time to get a picture book manuscript to a state where I’m happy with it. I agonise about the story itself, individual words, rhymes, character names and so on. You name it, I agonise about it. But I always leave a manuscript for several weeks before I review it one last time before sending it to a publisher, even if I think it’s perfect. With the benefit of time and fresh eyes, I can often spot areas that need further development.

5. What do you know now about the writing and publishing world that you wish you knew earlier in your career? 
There is so much that that it would have been good to know when I started writing for children. I would have found it helpful to understand how slowly the industry works, and that being patient is essential. I’m not a patient person and I have had to adjust my expectations around how long everything takes. I also had no idea how much I had to learn when I started out. I thought it would be easy to write a picture book because they are so short, but I found the opposite is true. I also thought I’d find it easy because my corporate jobs involved writing. However, the craft of writing for children is very different to writing for an adult audience, and has unique rules and conventions. It seems obvious now, but there was so much to learn and it continues to this day.

6. Your gorgeous, heartfelt picture book Grace and Mr Milligan is currently on the 2024 CBCA Shortlist! Congratulations!
What does this honour mean to you, for this book? Can you share the process of Grace and Mr Milligan from idea to publication? 
Having the CBCA recognise my picture book is such an honour and a career highlight. Grace and Mr Milligan is shortlisted for the 2024 Early Childhood Book of the Year, as well as in the New Illustrator category. Pip Kruger’s bright and lively illustrations are stunning, and balance the pathos surrounding Charlie’s death. Her use of bright colours along with subdued hues and delightful details complement the book’s emotional landscape.

The process of writing the story took several years. It was difficult to write, but a manuscript I never gave up on. Death can be a confronting and confusing concept for young children. It can also be a challenging topic for adults to discuss. I wanted to depict a child struggling as she watches a much-loved adult grieving after a loss. I aimed to keep the tone light, yet sensitive and show how children often want to help those who are suffering, but don’t know how. My hope is that the book will foster conversations about death and dying, but also grief, friendship, kindness, hope and the circle of life.

7. You have a very exciting picture book A Wish for Baby (illustrated by Sara Acton, published by Affirm Press) coming out in July.
Can you talk a little about the origin of this book and what we have to look forward to? 
I’m excited about ‘A Wish for Baby’.
It is a celebration of a new baby’s arrival, expressing all the hopes, joys and dreams for a little one’s future.

‘I wish you health and happiness,
but even when there’s pain,
I hope you see the rainbows
as you’re running through the rain.’

When my children were born, I would spend hours watching them, wondering what their futures held. Those memories came flooding back to me as I was writing this book. The birth of a baby inspires their loved-ones to dream of all the wonderful adventures and experiences they will have, and the relationships that will flourish over the years. I hope this book captures those feelings and expresses the love and good wishes that we feel towards a much-loved newborn or youngster.

8. For a fun but tricky 2-part question to end with!
a) Which of your own books, that best express your storyteller's heart, do you recommend to a new reader and why?  
Very tricky. Today, I would nominate, ‘A Wish for Baby’. Made up of gentle, rhyming verses, A Wish for Baby is designed to be read by an adult to a baby or young child, expressing their hopes and dreams for the little one's future. Wishes for happy days exploring rockpools by the beach, to tranquil times watching restful rivers flow. From fun with dress-ups, baking and giggling with friends, to adventures climbing snow-topped mountains and riding camels in the desert. There are wishes for supportive friends and importantly, to know that whatever happens and wherever they go, they are loved.

b) Which 3 Australian children's books, that you did not write, do you think everyone should read? 
 I wish I’d written, ‘All the Ways to be Smart’ by Davina Bell, illustrated by Allison Colpoys. It’s such a special, clever book.

 I love ‘Magic Beach’ by Allison Lester. The text and illustrations beautifully showcase all the things we love about the beach, with a dose of nature-inspired imagination.

 ‘Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge’ by Mem Fox, illustrated by Julie Vivas is another important book that everyone should read.

Charlotte Barkla is a Brisbane-based writer who worked as a civil engineer and physics teacher before rediscovering her love for children’s literature.
She writes picture books, middle-grade fiction and feature articles.
Charlotte’s books include 11 Ruby Road, All Bodies are Good Bodies, the Edie’s Experiments series and From My Head to My Toes, I Say What Goes.
She regularly visits schools, libraries and festivals for creative writing workshops, sharing her passion for creativity and stories with children of all ages.
Visit Charlotte online at charlottebarkla.com

1.  Your terrific new historical children's novel 11 Ruby Road: 1900 has just been published by Walker. Congratulations! Can you talk a little about how the story originated for you and the process from writing it to submitting for publication? 
​Thank you for your kind words!
It started off as an idea I had after talking with a neighbour who had lived in the same house, in the same street ever since she was a little girl, for over sixty years. We started talking about how much the street and life had changed over that period. I started thinking about how much change the oldest houses still standing in Brisbane (1860s-era), would've witnessed over the past 100-150 years. I also wondered whether the people who had lived in those houses had influenced some of that change. The idea for a series based around one house, featuring different characters with different struggles over different time periods grew from there!

I worked the idea into a proposal, consisting of pitches for four books, and a synopsis and three sample chapters for book 1.
​I submitted the proposal to a handful of publishers, and Walker Books offered a two-book deal. I was thrilled to accept! 

2. This is your first historical middle-grade novel, after a series of sensitive, thoughtful picture books and the Edie's Experiment chapter books - what was it like to switch gears and add historical middle-grade fiction to your oeuvre? 
This one is the first of a series and yes, historical fiction has been a change for me. I've found the process of researching and writing these books really interesting. It's intriguing to imagine life in the past - I could spend hours reading old articles and searching through old photos. I often found myself lost down a rabbit hole of research!

3. 11 Ruby Road is set in South Brisbane in 1900 and will be the start of a series (the second book will span from 1925). What was your process of historical research like for the novel? What's important to consider for you when researching and writing about the past? 
I started quite high level, looking at online teaching resources that explored life in the early 20th century in Australia. From this brief research, there were a few themes that piqued my interest, the main one being the suffragist movement and the fight for women's right to vote. I was also drawn to the experiences of Chinese-Australians in the post gold rush period. 

With these themes in mind, I developed my main characters: ten-year-old Dorothy and her family, who are involved in the suffragist movement through Dorothy's trailblazing aunt, and Dorothy's best friend George, a Chinese-Australian boy whose family experiences racism. The story developed from there!

In the process of writing the novel, I then drilled further down into research. Where needed, I used news articles, photographs, archives and local history websites. These resources helped me establish the particulars of life in Brisbane in 1900, and helped give the story its setting. Where I had a particular question -- for example, the First Nations history surrounding Boundary Road in West End -- I contacted researchers who were very helpful in pointing me in the right direction and answering my queries.

4. Is there any thing, or multiple things, you know about the writing and publishing world now that you wish you knew when you began? 
Great question! I can't think of anything in particular, but if I could go back in time and give a newly-published Charlotte some advice, I would remind myself to slow down and enjoy the writing/publishing process. :)

5. There is a sequel to 11 Ruby Road coming soon (11 Ruby Road: 1925). Can you share anything about what readers can expect? Is there anything else in the pipeline for you? 
Yes, the next instalment is released in September! I'd love to share the blurb with your readers:

11 Ruby Road: 1925 by Charlotte Barkla
It is 1925 and Bert Mueller and his German-Australian family have moved from Ipswich to their new house at 11 Ruby Road. Bert’s father has been deported to Germany after the Great War, and with Dad still absent, Bert is unsure about moving away. But the city means opportunity and jobs for his mother and older siblings. And for the grown-ups , it also means fun - dressing up, going out, and all that jazz. Bert loves jazz too, but he’s too young for the clubs, and instead his time is spent at his new school where the kids play cricket, not music.

But with the help of a gramophone, Bert has a solution. He will start his own jazz club, and 11 Ruby Road has the perfect spot to host it. But as prejudice about Bert and his German family start to affect their new life, Bert has to find a way to save his jazz club and his family.

I also have a handful of other projects in the pipeline, including a beautiful new picture book coming out at the end of August: 

Let's Try Again Another Day by Charlotte Barkla
A beautifully illustrated story about learning and making mistakes -- If we don't get things right away, we'll try again another day.
Bodies grow and brains do, too. Always learning -- me and you.
If we don't get things straight away, we'll try again another day.
We all know learning can be hard and life skills don't always come right away ... sometimes, we need to keep trying! A rhythmic and fun read-aloud from the trusted author of All Bodies Are Good Bodies and From My Head To My Toes, I Say What Goes, this life-affirming book will appeal to fans of All the Ways to Be Smart by Davina Bell.
**
In 2025, I'll have a new junior fiction series and a standalone junior fiction novel being published. Exciting times!

6. And a bit of a fun but tricky question for last, to make you really think! If you could put 3 Australian historical children's novels in a time capsule, to give future generations the best understanding of Aussie historical fiction for children, which 3 would you choose and why? 
Another great question! I would probably choose some of the Our Australian Girl series, and Katrina Nannestad's Silver Linings. And, of course, I would have to choose 11 Ruby Road! :)

Thank you Charlotte Barkla for stopping by to chat! You can catch Charlotte at the Brisbane Writers Festival, running May 30-June 2nd. Her latest book is the terrific 11 Ruby Road:1900. Look out for Charlotte's upcoming two books later this year, Let's Try Again Another Day and 11 Ruby Road: 1925.