My reading life began with series fiction. Through these ongoing stories, I made the acquaintance of Pippi Longstocking, Emily Byrd Starr and the Silver Brumby. During my primary school years, I was fortunate to be one of the countless young people nurtured and encouraged by Bendigo Children’s Librarian Miss Euphemia (Pheme) Tanner (1914‒1993). Her dedication to books and reading was inspirational.

Books nourish my life. I have been shaped by Jane Austen’s perspicacity and Marilyn French’s defiance. I worked for many years with the Australian literature database AustLit, gaining an exposure to writers and writing styles previously unknown to me. (You can read more about my AustLit story here.) Eventually, I started to write myself—stories, essays, tanka, reviews and plenty of assignments en route to my MA (Writing).

This blog shares some of my thoughts; thoughts that often percolate up from idle hours spent with books and their creators. I hope the blog sparks some fruitful errantry in your life. Most posts include links for further exploration.

Other places you’ll find me

Much of my writing is listed on AustLit. You will find me on Twitter and on Pinterest (with links to the books I’ve been reading). I have previously reviewed children’s and young adult literature for Reading Time, the journal of the Children’s Book Council of Australia. Those reviews are available on the Reading Time website.