Central Coast NSW

In October this year I had the pleasure of touring the Central Coast area of NSW, courtesy of the local branch of the Children’s Book Council of Australia. Over the course of five days I visited seven schools, two bookshops, a library book club and a Teacher-Librarian networking event. And I even managed to squeeze in a little sight–seeing, some writing and a bit of Pokemon GO playing. It was a jam-packed week and heaps of fun.

Thank you so much to the Children’s Book Council of Australia – (NSW) Central Coast Sub Branch, and particularly to Lyndall Coles who was the mastermind behind this book tour.

I loved every minute of this tour — from signing books for readers to meeting the dedicated teachers and librarians at the various schools — but there are a couple of highlights I wanted to share on my blog.

During my presentation at Our Lady of the Rosary School in Wyoming, one of the teachers, Sarah Evans, did an on-the-spot illustration of one of the zombie bunnies from You Choose: Maze of Doom. Such an awesome pic! And a lovely surprise to be presented with the illustration at the conclusion of my visit.

I visited Warnervale Public School, presenting to the Year 4 classes. Sadly the Year 3s weren’t able to attend. Knowing that they were going to miss out on seeing me, they wrote me cards and letters. It was such a buzz being handed this massive pile of mail at the end of my visit. I read each and every one of those cards and letters when I got home. There were quite a few questions, so I answered them in an email that I sent to their teacher.

Book tours are an aspect of my job as a writer that I adore. The opportunity to connect with readers is simply wonderful. I look forward to more touring in 2018.