What a Year 2021 Has Been

At the end of 2020 I  was dreaming of ways I could continue to hone my skills in creative writing for children and to design myself a 'writerly life'. This is also my dream for 2022. In amongst some really difficult family times this year, covid and a temporary move to Lincoln while we rebuild our house in Addington there have been some stand out writing moments for me during 2021.

I loved teaching Year 3-8 students at several Christchurch primary schools through 'The School For Young Writers' and look forward to more teaching opportunities in 2022.

Highlights included:
Publication of 'A Stick and a Stone'
Publication of 'The Fairies Night Before Christmas'
The Fairies becoming a number 1 bestseller and staying in the top ten chart for several weeks.
Inclusion of both titles in several 'best of' and 'recommended for Christmas' lists
The opening of the Smith & Caughey Christmas windows featuring our fairies and the subsequent top 5 listing for the display in an international best Christmas windows list.

2022 is looking to be just as exciting with my next PB due out in September and three more under contract for 2023. There's a few more highlights that are still under wraps for now but I look forward to sharing them with you in the new year. I'm so grateful for all the support from readers, librarians, booksellers and especially the team at Hachette and Sarah and Hilary. This year really has been a dream come true.