Ella Gordon is an illustrator based in Ōtautahi, New Zealand. She's been illustrating (and writing) stories since she could hold a pencil. Her first picture book was published in 2022 and since then she's illustrated more than 10 books! She's also had artworks displayed in Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, and other galleries overseas. You may have seen her books featured on  Suzy's Book Corner , or at your local bookstore.  What is your writing or illustrating day like? When and how do you create? I create all the time! I try to be disciplined and work "normal" hours so, Monday to Friday, you'll find me working on picture book illustrations and other commissions from my studio (or somewhere equally as comfy) with my cats, and probably an audiobook in the background. I work digitally, but in the evenings and weekends, I love to create with other mediums, I love to write, paint with watercolours, and I just started lace tatting - basically, I l...

Angie Belcher has been lurking around the writing fraternity for an eternity. In the late 1990’s, she had work accepted by Learning Media which set her on a path of educational writing. She’s watched other New Zealand writers strive and succeed while she sat back and watched. Finally, she got into gear and sent some work to traditional publishers. The Woven Flax Kete (illustrated by Denise Durkin) The Girls in the Kapa haka and The Boys in the Waka ama (both illustrated by Debbie Tipuna) were published, followed more recently by Pipi Dance (illustrated by Lily Uivel) and The Big Boil-Up (illustrated by Zak Ātea). Angie’s work is heavily in influenced by living in Maketū. Both Pipi Dance/ Te Pikari Pipi and The Big Boil-Up/ Te Kai kōhua Nui have been translated into te reo by Pānia Papa. What is your writing or illustrating day like? When and how do you create? Whoever said ‘ retirement was relaxing’ lied. I’ve never been so busy, so now I try to set aside one day per week as my ...

1. What is your writing day like? When and how do you create? I have a terrible lack of routine! I write whenever I can fit it in around my other responsibilities. Sometimes, this is four in the morning, but my best writing time is usually mid-morning, when my brain is at its least flabby and the coffee has hit! I’m not the sort of writer who can achieve a daily word count or a certain number of hours at my desk. I write very slowly and edit sentence by sentence as I go, as well as at the end. I don’t necessarily recommend this, but it seems to be how I do it. Also, this might shock you, but an afternoon spent staring out a window daydreaming can actually be far more productive for me than writing screeds of empty words which I’ll only delete later. Thinking is working too! I’ve learnt to be kinder to myself and trust the process. That said, there are also times when I just need to force myself to sit down and get on with it! The tricky part is knowing the difference between creative b...

  While there have been a few notable collections of poems in the past few years, overall the market for single poems is a bit dismal! These are a few resources for you to consider. There’s a tendency for writers/poets to try a picture book text instead (not that these are any easier to get published, but at least we know the readership is keen). However, rhyming texts are very hard to get ‘right’. The rhythm (meter) has to be perfect, and the rhymes need to work strongly (rather than be predictable). Combined with that, you still have to tell a really good story. The other tendency is for some to try and write verse novels, usually in free verse. These are rarely published in NZ for some reason (rarely written?). Again, it can’t just be chopped-up prose – there has to be a strong poetic element, as well as a good story.  The main thing, I think, is to keep writing poems – the more you write, the better your poems will be. You should also read a lot of children’s poetry to get...

Katie Furze writes children’s non-fiction and fiction including picture books, short stories, articles, plays, readers and novels from her home in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. She has a master’s degree in creative writing and is fascinated by science and nature. Her books include PEKAPEKA, Secret Forest Bat (2025), RURU, Night Hunter (2024) and TUATARA, A Living Treasure (2023) all illustrated by Ned Barraud and published by Scholastic NZ. You can also read her work in The New Zealand School Journal or in The School Magazine in Australia. Katie has also written stories in anthologies and readers and plays for educational publishers. She loves spending time in nature and you’ll find her outside whenever possible. What is your writing day like? When and how do you create? Even if it is just a sentence or two jotted in my journal, I write every day, wherever I am. I like to process my thoughts, ideas and first drafts the old-fashioned way with a pen on paper. When my children were young, ...

By Sherryl Clark Probably the question before that is: what is the CBCA? It’s the Children’s Book Council of Australia, which has been going now for 80 years! To quote from their website: The CBCA was founded in 1945 in a time when Australian children’s books were few, and Australian authors and illustrators were virtually unknown. The following year, 1946 the  The Book of the Year Awards , an annual award to promote books of high literary and artistic quality was established. These awards are now the most influential and highly respected in Australia. Its key purpose of promoting children’s and young adult books has been made possible by thousands of volunteers over the years, as well as sponsorship. The awards are very influential, but also can have the inverse effect (as we see in NZ) of the shortlisted books being highly promoted while everyone else’s books miss out and fade away. However, a few years ago, some of the committee realised that they needed to make more of the Nota...