Make your own monster: in Japanese and English

I’m just back from a terrific conference with the Society of Childrens Book Writers and Illustrators. It was great!! I am all inspired and fired up to start work on ideas for a Takeshita Demons book 5 (and I think book 4 is nearly ready to start writing!) Monster self-introductions If you’re looking for inspiration [...]

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Three cheers for the International Children’s Bunko Association

Like Miku Takeshita, the hero of Takeshita Demons, many children leave their country of birth to live in another country. My sisters and I did, leaving New Zealand to live in our mother’s home country of Australia. Lucky for us, Mum had already introduced bits and pieces of Australia’s culture. We visited grandparents in Perth, [...]

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More writing tips from the Perth Writers Festival: crime and fantasy

After the festival was over… I’m sitting at home, taking out my metaphorical glass eye. And I’m procrastinating wildly, because I now know for certain that I have to ditch the first 20,000 words of my new novel and start again. It’s not that the start isn’t good; it’s just not the right start for [...]

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How to get published: secrets revealed at the Perth Writers Festival

I am EXHAUSTED and I didn’t present a thing today! Instead I attended the Perth Writers Festival’s day-long workshop, the A-Z of Getting Published, and it was great! There were 200 people there and the entire session was MCed by Angela Meyer of Literary Minded, who kept things cool, calm and interesting all day long, [...]

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10 activities for International Childrens Book Day

Celebrating international childrens books I am a member of the Childrens Book Council of Australia and recently recieved their terrific February newsletter. In it was an awesome list of suggestions for ways to celebrate International Childrens Book Day, which is on April 2, the birthday of Hans Christian Anderson. Here, shamelessly reproduced so you can [...]

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Fight demons, learn about luck and choose a charm: Japanese demons webquest

Japan’s demons or yōkai are different from any you’ve known. Some yōkai like to shake beans. Others drink oil, or eat cucumbers, or ride your nightmares into the night.. Most of them would like to eat you. If you want to stay safe, you’ll need to know more about how to attract good luck in [...]

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What colour were yōkai demons? Download colouring-in sheets

The Takeshita Demons books feature Japanese monsters and demons, called yōkai (or youkai). Many yōkai were first drawn by Toriyama Sekien, a Japanese artist who lived in the 1700s. These colouring-in sheets feature his original drawings. Head to the resources section of my website to download PDFs for these activities. A kappa is a water-loving [...]

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Japanese yokai memory game: test your memory, learn some Japanese and spook yourself out!

Want to hunt some yokai? You’ve come to the right place! I’ve posted a new game on my website: It’s a ‘match-the-pairs’ challenge that uses the artwork of Toriyama Sekien. Sekien is famous for his early depictions of Japanese monsters, better known as yokai. HOW TO PLAY It’s simple! Use your mouse to click on [...]

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Hiragana word search: Find the yokai demons and practise your Japanese

Want a fun way to practise your hiragana? Try this spooky hiragana wordsearch! If you’re studying Japanese, then you alredy know that the Japanese language is written using three different alphabets: hiragana, katakana and kanji. Words can also be written in romaji, using the English alphabet. This word search uses hiragana and features demons from [...]

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How to keep your New Year Resolution: Papier mache daruma dolls

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! Want something fun to do on a hot (or cold) day this holidays? Want to make sure you keep your New Year Resolution? Well… Here’s the perfect activity to keep you busy AND motivated to succeed in achieving your goals! Papier mache daruma dolls Start saving old newspapers and grab some glue: [...]

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