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When I was in 9, I had two pen pals. One was a girl named Liz who lived in Michigan, USA. Her letters came on thin blue paper with a stamp featuring a US President. She wrote about ice skating on frozen lakes and playing in the snow in winter. To me, who lived in suburban Sydney and had never seen snow, this sounded remarkable. So did the fact that she had COLOUR TV. (I am seriously dating myself with this story!) In turn she asked me many questions about kangaroos and koalas

I'm thrilled to announce that my middle grade novel, Rill and the Riverbank Peril, will be released under the Wombat Books children's list in 2027! The announcement was made by Wombat Books on 21.7.26: "Welcome Anne Farrell to the Wombat family! Anne Farrell's middle grade fiction, Rill and the Riverbank Peril, will be under the Wombat Books children's list and released in 2027! Rill and the Riverbank Peril features a cast of Aussie animals. It’s a coming-of-age story with t

Notebooks have been a trusty companion throughout my writing life -- first as a copywriter, now as an author. I have cartons of them, each a snapshot of what I was doing in my life in the 2 or 3 months until they were full. In one begun in July 2020, I see the genesis of my story. Ideas for characters (including 'interviews' with them to find out what makes them tick), plot timelines, sensory details for scenes, and feedback from other students in my writing class. Learnings

I did not take this photo (the rakali were too nimble for me!) but it gives a good idea of these cuties. Photo by David Cook, 2023, Rakali, Flickr, https://www.flickr.com/photos/kookr/52957232190