CKT's Blog

  Liz Ledden is a Sydney-based children's book author, who writes picture books, junior fiction and middle grade. Her debut picture book TULIP AND BRUTUS with Ford Street Publishing is out now. It's about friendship, differences, teamwork … and bugs! She has another picture book due out in 2020 with Larrikin House. Liz also co-hosts kids' book...

Jules Faber is a cartoonist and illustrator, most well-known for illustrating the WeirDo series by comedian Anh Do, for which they've won multiple awards, including Book of the Year for Older Children at the Australian Book Industry Awards.  He's also illustrated David Warner's 'Kaboom Kid' series, Michael Pryor's 'Leo Da Vinci' series, Alex R...

Kate Simpson is a children's author and podcast host. Her first picture book, Finding Granny , was shortlisted for the 2019 Speech Pathology Book of the Year Awards. When she's not writing, Kate is one third of children's book podcast One More Page, which is a fortnightly foray into all things kids' books. One More Page features guest interviews, b...

Valerie Khoo is CEO of the Australian Writers' Centre, the country's leading centre for writing courses. With campuses in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Online, the centre has enrolled more than 50,000 students across Australia and internationally.  A former journalist, Valerie is also co-author of the book So You Want To Be A Writer: ...

Nat Amoore is a Sydney-based writer whose first middle grade novel 'Secrets Of A Schoolyard Millionaire' is out now with Penguin Random House, with a second novel expected in 2020. She will also appear in Total Quack Up Again!, due out in October 2019. Nat co-hosts kid lit podcast One More Page, which has had over 30k downloads and was a final...

Caroline Tuohey is an award-winning children's writer and poet whose main interest is picture books.She has four published picture books in print with two more (one with Larrikin House and the other Ford Street Publishing) due for release in 2020.She has also been published in children's literature magazines in Australia and Ireland as well as in a...

What constitutes good or bad writing is subjective because, from a reader's viewpoint, what we like and dislike varies greatly. Despite this, there are ways of writing that will usually be considered poor. To demonstrate this, I'm delighted to share the words of my grandson, aged five, when forced to endure 'take home readers'. Though not particula...

The exciting third book in the Grimsdon trilogy by Deborah Abela will be released on  August 6, 2019 through Random House. Check out the trailer link below. What is Final Storm about? This is the third book in my cranky climate change trilogy. After surviving for three years in the flooded city of Grimsdon, Isabella an...

Writing is a solitary act. Rewards can be few and far between. Dedication and hard work need to be unwavering. Writers often search for that thread that connects them with other writers. When I began reading So, You Want to be a Writer , I immediately felt that connection. Imagine a gospel choir singing Hallelujah. This new resource has evolved fro...

'Writing is an act of faith not a trick of grammar.' EB White. I'm a plodding, bumbling writer. Even though recently a friend looked at me sternly and said, 'You're methodical'. A methodical plodder, perhaps? I recently finished the third book in the Grimsdon trilogy, Final Storm and writing it felt hard, wonderful and brilliantly intoxicating, in ...

Tim Harris is the bestselling author of several laugh-out-loud series for kids, including Toffle Towers , Mr Bambuckle's Remarkables and Exploding Endings .  His first ever book, Exploding Endings: Painted Dogs & Doom Cakes , was awarded Honour Book at the 2017 KOALAs. Tim's second series, M r Bambuckle's Remarkables , con tains his tradem...

​The birth of a baby is a time of celebration, a time of family coming together. In Indigenous cultures, the rituals that surround these welcoming ceremonies are connected with the land, their ancestors and the traditions of their people. Jasmine Seymour's beautiful book, Baby Business, is inviting from the cover to the last page. Greeted by an ope...

Amelia lives just outside Sydney in the lower Blue Mountains. She spends her days writing kids' books, staring out the window thinking up stories for kids' books, and occasionally just plain staring out the window. When she's not writing, thinking or staring, Amelia enjoys doing yoga and snorkeling, but not at the same time because that's really ha...

​ What is Mind Kind about? In Mind Kind you will not find parenting techniques, but rather a parenting philosophy. Recognizing that there are no absolute answers, distinguished psychotherapist, mother and grandmother Dr Joanna North instead aims to help you become aware of the types of emotional support your child may need. Through following this p...

What is The Big Old Rambutan Tree about? It is about love, trust, loyalty and the struggle of survival. Ginger is a young and endangered orangutan living in the threatened Indonesian rainforest. When feeding on the fruits of the big old rambutan tree with all the other orangutans in the forest, she hears a strange noise and goes to investigate. At ...

  What is Baby Business about? Baby business is about an Aboriginal baby smoking ceremony. The book is contemporary look at what a baby smoking ceremony might look like on Darug Country. A baby smoking ceremony is a baby's first welcome to country. The smoke helps the baby to belong to Country by infusing its whole being with the smell of Coun...

If you've worked and reworked your stories until they are as good as can be, and now think they are ready to edit, there are a number of questions to consider. Do you know what type of edit your work needs? Are you even aware that editing is a multifaceted process? If you answered 'no' to either of these questions and think all that's left to do is...

What is The Boy in the Big Blue Glasses about? A boy. A super hero. A brave pirate leads his crew of girls and boys. Until the day Sammy feels different. He gets glasses. His parents, teacher, family are happy for Sammy, because life is no longer blurry. So, the great miscommunication begins. The super hero is still heroic, funny, determined as he ...

When presenting manuscripts to publishers, editors, competition judges or critique partners, the manner in which we format them speaks volumes. If your work's formatting indicates you don't care to follow publishing industry expectations, ask yourself why you should expect your work to be read. If you care to know what the general expectations are,...

The Boy in the Big Blue Glasses by Susanne Gervay and Marjorie Crosby-Fairall. I was fortunate to see this story at various stages of the publication process, so, you can imagine my excitement when I received the printed copy on my doorstep. Susanne has created an emotionally charged story that will resonate with many children and adults. For those...