Fairytale readers and other ed stuff

Last year was a really good year for me in terms of education writing. I was contracted to write 14 education titles, including school readers, reference books and a couple of chapter books. Most of these books will be published over the course of 2014.

I’ve been writing for the education market for many years and I’ve had over 70 books published… but the joy never dies. Each time a new title shows up in my postbox I still feel the little thrill of excitement flash through me as I hold the book for the first time.

I had an extra thrill last week, as six readers showed up in the post. Five of these readers form the Fairytale Fixits set I wrote for Pearson Australia’s Bug Club series. The other book is a non-fic Bug Club title called The Food You Eat.

The Fairytale Fixits are, without a doubt, my all-time favourite readers. Each book is about Sarah and Joe getting zapped into a broken fairytale and having to find a way to fix it.

The Fairytale Fixits were an absolute joy to write, the editing process was a truly collaborate creative development and Diane Le Feyer provided gorgeous full-colour illustrations.

I read all five of the books to my five-year-old daughter Lexi the day they arrived. As we finished each one, she eagerly begged for the next. And her favourite moment — when Joe offers his stinky socks to Puss in Boots. It was a magic experience.

I love my job!  🙂