Dim's Write Stuff

The last month or more has been a flurry of Facebook posts, well intended emails and quite a bit of self-trumpeting all with the soul purpose of making Flick's introduction into the world of children's stories as smooth, memorable and meaningful as possible. Who is Flick you ask? She is the little girl who ' lives beneath the beech woods at the end of Holyrood Lan e', and the life and soul of my latest picture book with Nicky Johnston, At The End of Holyrood Lane - in case you live a fabulously social media free life and missed everything. Photo courtesy of Sandy Pages Noosa Bookshop In the publishing world, one has very limited time to spin hay into gold, so whilst the sun shone, Flick and I took our story to the road. Signing books for adoring book lovers (granted some had no choice but to come in out of the filthy weather - thank you Mother Nature) made me realise though, that no number of endorsements or promises to instill hope could match real life stories....

Risk taking is never easy to contemplate let alone actuate. EK Books have done so with me on more than one occasion. When publisher, Anouska Jones first approached me to publish one of my stories, the then fledging The Fix-It Man , I could hardly believe it. My story about grief and loss had ticked all of EK Books' boxes. Several years on, EK Books has blossomed from a handful of titles to the impressive children's imprint of  Exisle Publishing stabling titles by well-known creators and rising new talent that expound the premise 'books with heart on issues that matter '. Fortunately for me, domestic violence is an issue that matters very much to them. Today I want to shout out my eternal gratitude to Anouska and the entire EK Books team for being foresighted and bold enough to not only take on this delicate subject but for embracing Flick's story with as much enthusiasm and determination as I. As Holyrood Lane's illustrator, Nicky Johnston and I ...

Families matter. So much. Family might be one singular special person, an unrelated confidant, or a tribe of mismatched siblings but they all matter because they are the ones that are always there for you, listening, disagreeing, rescuing, upbraiding, loving. Caring. This week is National Families Week . I was almost too busy keeping the wheels spinning on my family wagon to notice. But here it is, 'celebrating the vital role that families play' . You can find out more about getting involved, here . Early Childhood Australia is one of the many wonderful organisations advocating stronger families through strong communities. I'm delighted to see that The Fix-It Man is listed by the ECA as one of their ' recommended quality-assured resources '. It truly does warm the cockles of my heart knowing this story, with its subtle sensitive message of hope, is reaching out and touching the hearts of others. Illustration by Nicky Johnston

  “If you want intelligent adults, give our children stories, because each story increases the neurons in a child’s brain. If you want creative adults who can mine the asteroids or find three million ways to cope with drought, pollution or global warming, give them stories now.”  Jackie French AO. Jackie French's take on the power of story. What follows is my truncated take on her impassioned speech last night at Riverbend Books in Brisbane on why books matter and must always matter. Books give kids the ability to choose what they want to be and who they could be, not necessarily describing to them who they are already. One kind act can change a life . Kindness is as contagious as evil and anger. BOOKS MATTER – books improve, enhance, stimulate and, strengthen our intelligence. It’s a scientific fact. CREATORS MATTER - as creators, what we do matters. LIBRARIES, TEACHER LIBRARIANS AND BOOKSHOPS MATTER . - Kids need guidance when it com...