Dim's Write Stuff

Prepared to be Charmed! Out now, just in time to plump up your Christmas stockings, the first two volumes in the charming new Crock of Charms series , a project conjured up by Sally Odgers and coordinated through Prints Charming Books . This set of three anthologies features a delightful collection of children's stories, written especially for them by a dazzling line up of children's writers - including ME. Stories and volumes suit children aged 4 -14 years.  My story appears in Volume Two . Read it independently or as part of the full set. Each of the stories are linked by a storyline that flows through linking and embracing the stand-alone pieces by contributing writers.You don't need to start at the very beginning but the stories and poems included make for some very interesting and intriguing reads. Imagine chancing upon a crock of charms and discovering the story behind each one. What does it all mean?  This series is literally PACKED with dozens of st...

Understanding where you are from and appreciating it are two of the most important endeavours you can experience in life. Today, I am compelled to give my little Aussie flag a bit of a wobble because those patriotic juices, that deliciously dress ‘the salad bowl of culture and race that typifies our beautiful country’ are bubbling madly after reading Tania McCartney’s sparkling new picture book, An Aussie Year: Twelve Months in the Life of Australian Kids. More than a nondescript chronological listing of dates and events, An Aussie Year is countless moments of pure joy. It is fantastic factual fun. It is a riotous romp through the enthralling landscapes and cultures and flora and fauna of our land. And for me, it was a walk back down that footpath of life to a time when many of these sensations, sights and events were first captured in the wet concrete of my childhood memories.  McCartney has left very few stones unturned in this marvellous collection of celebrat...

About PiBoIdMo PiBoIdMo , or Picture Book Ideas Month , is picture book authors’ answer to NaNoWriMo , or National Novel Writing Month.  PiBoIdMo is the brainchild of Tara Laza r who created it as a 30 day challenge for picture book writers who seemingly miss out on all the fun of NaNoWriMo.  The challenge is to create 30 picture book ideas in 30 days.  The ideas need not be entire manuscripts, but could include a title, a name of a character, or a silly idea on which to base a picture book. To participate in PiBoIdMo, simply click HERE to find out more.  Registration  started on October 24, 2013 and is open through the first week of November. It is no secret that I firmly believe picture books are one of the great elixirs of life. An art form like no other. I adore them and love writing them. I have chosen to participate, along with a number of friends, in hope of harnessing those ideas which until now are either lying ignored in vari...

Want to compare meerkats? Then go to Compare the Meerkat.com . It's a pretty good site and Alexsandr has a certain quirky appeal. Want to compare talented emerging children's authors and then vote for your favourite? Then go to Creative Kids' Tales and vote today. It's a pretty awesome site too and kids' author, Dimity Powell , is exceedingly quirky in spite of her dislike for mealy worms aka grubs. For quirky reads and the opportunity to vote for Dimity , visit Creative Kids Tales now . Simples.

Yep, I'm taking off again on another exhilarating ride with dynamic Aussie author, Tania McCartney . This time we are zipping around Australia, from the 21st October to 21st November, with a handful of Aussie kids and a calendar-load-full of fun. Cruise on by here again on Monday 11th November and read all about the Write Stuff behind the author behind, An Aussie Year, Twelve Months in the life of Australian Kids . Check out Virtual Tour dates here . No tickets required. There are nearly as many blog stops as months on a calendar so you are guaranteed not to miss out. If you live anywhere near the SE corner of my great state, pop on in to Paddington in Brisbane, this weekend when Tania launches her new book at the Black Cat bookshop and cafe . Visit Tania's site for launch details in a state near year. Now off you go. Time to fill in your calendars.

It's the Queensland Writers Week this week and it while would be nice to add to the small glut of words being written and celebrated, it's a question of needs must first and I must tell you about this... Question : what authors and illustrators including; Christine Bongers, Pamela Rushby, Stephen Axelsen, Katherine Battersby, Judy Paulson, Michelle Worthington, Julie Nickerson, Christina Bollenbach, Angela Sunde, Candice Lemon-Scott, Jennifer Poulter and Dimity Powell have in common? Surprisingly, it's not a cryptic fascination for green clothes pegs, although I find them personally alluring. Answer : we are all part of The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators ' inaugural, world-wide, multi-festival styled event - the Inside Story . It's going to be so fantastical that if there was a SCBWI chapter on the moon, the Inside Story would be taking place there too. It's FREE. It's FUN. And it's coming to a specialist book sho...