Warning: Australia is trying to kill YOU!

We have more venomous snakes than you can poke a stick at. We have creepy-crawly spiders that can sneak up on you. We have crocs and sharks with really big teeth in our waters. We have raging bushfires and unexpected floods. We have an often harsh environment with bushlands and deserts to get lost in. Add in some cyclones, hailstones the size of cricket balls, rip currents, the risk of skin cancer and a plethora of other potentially dangerous stuff. With all of this in mind, you’d be forgiven for thinking that AUSTRALIA IS TRYING TO KILL YOU!

That’s the premise of my new book, The Australia Survival Guide, which I’ve been working on since about August last year. Aimed at kids 8 and up, this non-fiction book has been a joy to research and write. I’ve been discovering all sorts of fascinating things about our country. And it’s not all doom and gloom. While I do focus on the dangerous stuff, I also look at how to survive it all and enjoy this wonderful, awe-inspiring land of ours.

This book has been a bit different for me. I’m mostly known for writing adventurous fiction for kids. While I’ve written lots of educational non-fic as well, this is my first go at commercial non-fiction. So, although it certainly will be educational, the book is also out to entertain. It’s my goal to make the possibility of DEATH in Australia kinda fun. 🙂

A draft manuscript is complete and I’m currently working through edits and fact-checking, with the aim of publication in late 2019 by Penguin Random House. Keep an eye on my website, as I’ll be sharing more info about this book in coming months… that is, of course, assuming Australia doesn’t kill me first.

BTW… don’t go poking any snakes with sticks. Especially not venomous one.