My Story

A witch in the laundry can give you a scare – even in the middle of the day.

But a violin-playing bee is a joy!

Growing up in a family of puppeteers meant there was always a strange creature or two hanging around the house. (That witch used to fly in a chair with a propeller on top.) Surrounded by fantastical and funny stories, I was performing by the time I was 10.

After finishing school, I studied theatre and became an actor, winning lead roles with major theatre companies all around Australia. I’ve done everything from Shakespeare to Little Shop of Horrors. I’ve narrated dozens of Audio Books, including the Australian classic Snugglepot and Cuddlepie, and appeared in TV series such as Neighbours, Home and Away and All Saints, and in the feature films Blackrock and Charlotte’s Web.

When my daughter was born, I rediscovered the world of children’s literature. Remembering the feeling of captivation — of total absorption — that I’d felt reading as a child, I began to write my own stories.

I’ve sold second-hand railway sleepers, flown in a hot-air balloon and walked inside a lava tube. I’ve piloted a plane, clung to the back of a ute as it dangled off a broken bridge (all controlled by the stunt coordinator, phew!) and I once lived in a haunted apartment. (The ghost-girl only ever turned up when we were about to have a party – weird.)

I love visiting schools to talk to kids about all things wordy and sharing my stories. I’m a member of Writing NSW, the Australian Society of Authors and The Children’s Book Council of Australia, serving as a committee member for the CBCA Inner West Sydney Sub-branch.

I live on Wangal land in Sydney, Australia, along with my husband and daughter – and a cheeky Pomeranian called Sedona. (Get down, Sedona! Out of the way. No, you can’t have your own page. Get off. Aargh! Oh, alright …)