US Cover for Dancing in the Dark, release date Feb 8 2013!

Welcome to my brand new website and blog!

Before plunging into 2012 (and yes, I know that technically speaking it has already begun), I thought I’d farewell 2011 by listing some highlights. Chief among them were school visits. It’s always wonderful to meet appreciative readers, and it was especially gratifying to visit Lowther Hall and Shelford Girls Grammar, where Dancing in the Dark is a set text for Year 8 English. I was also delighted to learn that more schools have added it to their curriculum for 2012.

Later in the year, I conducted a creative writing workshop for final year students from Pioneer Junior College, Singapore, who were visiting Melbourne as part of a three-week study tour.

I was also given the privilege of judging the Benn’s Books Senior Secondary Short Story Award, which was part of the My Brother Jack Literary Awards and the inaugural Glen Eira Storytelling Festival. I’d never been a judge before, and found it a challenging and somewhat daunting process. See the Judge’s Summary I wrote and presented.

And finally, I was delighted to finish the first draft of my next novel.

Happy 2012 to all of you, and my very best wishes for a wonderful year!