'Once upon a time - both right next door and far away - there lived a girl.'  
That's the first line of my new picture book, Honeysuckle Gold, coming out next month (September 2026! Eek - so exciting!).
It's a book about two girls whose lives are connected through the cotton supply chain. It’s about child labour, the rights of the girl child, and modern day slavery. And it’s a story about the difference we can make in a world that needs change. 
I wrote the original draft of this book about ten years ago as part of my Master of Arts (writing and literature) at Deakin University. I’ve long been passionate about fighting slavery. Out of the Cages was written in response to this. But for my picture book assignment, I’d wanted to tackle an aspect of modern slavery that younger children could process.

Horses, faith and writing for children. That's the combination we get to talk about in this interview with Christian children's writer, Kathryn O'Neill, or Kathy as I know her. 
I first met Kathy online via Write2Ignite, an organisation dedicated to encouraging and equipping Christian children's authors, and have since met her in person at a conference. She's genuinely lovely, and her new devotional for middle graders and teens is due for release in September (the same month as my new picture book!). Given her book is a devotional for horse loving kids, my interest was immediately sparked. What a fabulous topic for a devotional, but also -I wanted to know - why horses? I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I did!

Carolyn Tonkin is an amazing woman of faith I've had the priviledge to meet through Omega Writers, Australia's Christian Writers' Network. She is the current president of that organisation and has a heart for encouraging Aussie Christian writers. She's a writer herself, and is writing a Christian historical fiction series called The Mark of the Spirit, the second book in the series will launch in time for Christmas (a perfect gift for historical fiction lovers)! 
I loved hearing from Carolyn about the way she engages with children's books, especially her advice about what to do if you aren't enjoying what you are reading - brilliant!

R.A Stephens is the author name of Rochelle Stephens, an Australian children’s writer. I first met Rochelle about 15 years ago at a writers conference in Queensland when her publishing company Rhiza Press was just beginning. Since then she’s managed to build a successful children’s and YA publishing brand with multiple imprints (Wombat Books, Riveted Press, Rhiza Edge). I’ve had a few of my books (both Penny Reeve and Penny Jaye) published by Rhiza over the years and have gotten to know Rochelle both as a publisher and friend. She’s a publisher with integrity, a heart for emerging Aussie authors and always on the look out for great books for kids. After investing in so many other people’s books, it’s super exciting to see her writing more of her own. In this post I review three of her recent releases: Apples not Oprles, Connected and the first book in the Stephen and the Heroes series. 

If you've ever wanted to write a book, but were not sure how to start or what to do once you type the words "The End", hanging out with other writers can make all the difference. I've found this in my own life. I've done writing courses, and borrowed all the books from the writing section of the library (pop over here to read more about how I got started writing), but it's the conversations - even the conversations you eavesdrop - where you learn the breadth of practical advice writers need to navigate the publishing industry! This is one of the reasons I attend writers conferences, and teach at them too. 
This month, I'll be teaching several classes and sharing a keynote at the Write His Answer Online Christian Writers Conference, and I was interested to reach out to Marlene Bagnull, the conference director, to learn more about her heart for this particular event. Marlene has spent literally decades in this role, pouring her heart into equipping and building up other writers. She's something of an inspiration!