Where were you born?
I was born in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia (look it up on a map!) I lived in Launceston
until I was 7 years old and then we moved to St. Helens on the East Coast of Tasmania. We lived across the road from the beach
and fished and swam a lot.
Where did you go to school?
Because we moved a lot I have been to a lot of schools. I started at Mowbray Heights
Primary School. St. Helen's District High School was next, then Marion College and then Queechy High School in Launceston.
I studied at Launceston Community College for my HSC and then off to the Tasmanian Institute of Technology (now the Uni of
Tas).
Where do you live now?
I live in Launceston, a beautiful city, second largest in Tasmania, full of trees
and lots of hills that keep us fit. We are close to the beach, the bush and the mountains. Launceston is the 3rd oldest city
in Australia and the first city in the northern hemisphere to have wired electricity. There are a lot of old buildings and
beautiful architecture. The house I live in is 100 years old. Imagine the stories it could tell.....
How old are you?
I think I'm nine! Inside my head I'm still nine, that's what helps me to write stories
for children. I still like the idea of skipping and jumping on the trampoline, playing in the playground, saying I'm full
but still eating dessert and reading picture books. Sadly, my body is older than that and sometimes I feel a bit funny when
I get off the swing.....
Do you have any pets?
Yes x 19!
We have a big, black labrador called Nash. He used to be a guide dog in training but he
failed and now lives with us and his huge collection of bones.
We have a cat, YaYa who is a tabby cat and likes to keep me company in the studio
(she also chases grasshoppers and invites mice into our house to play).
We have 9 fish of assorted names, one is a pirate!
A rabbit called Houdini has made himself comfortable in our back yard eating daisies and
smooching with YaYa and
the other 7 (did you do your maths?) are all chickens. I love chickens and I have
written stories about them. They also lay lots of lovely golden eggs that we love to eat. They all have names: Edwina
(my favourite), Agnes, Mac, Happy (she looks like a feather duster!), Zwartie (blackie), Omlet, and Bobby. We used to
have three roosters. Tobias who now lives on the Hunt farm, Kip who lives on a farm near Deloraine and Bumble (son of
Kip).
Why do you write books?
I can't remember when I didn't l read. I used to go to our small town library (only open
at night because during the day the librarian had another job) in my pyjamas. I loved the way words could make pictures in
your head and how pictures played with the words in picture books. I thought it would be a good thing to have my name on the
front of a book. I used to put my novel inside my maths book so I could read during maths class, don't you do that, I had
to work extra hard at maths to catch up!
I trained as an artist and a teacher and worked hard to become an illustrator, not a writer.
One day I thought I'd give writing a go and so now I do both.
Can you tell us about your family?
Yes, I have three children, one is a grown up now and at university. I have
two boys and a girl. They all love books as well.
My husband works as a radiographer at our local hospital. He is also a keen astronomer.
