My story started off from an incident when two mice jumped out of the car after my wife and I were visiting the Bunya Mountains. That is certainly original. The other stories were inspired from experiences that we had during our own journey.

So, it was from my travel adventures that really sparked the desire to write a children’s book. I just loved the stories that came forth through my pen. It was like I was taken on a full circle, back to my childhood love for stories of animals great and small.

Australia is an amazing country, rich with stories and unique wildlife. It is a diversity that needs to be honoured and cared for.

Along our travels we had a few incidences that occurred whilst camping. We bought a 2^nd hand camper trailer, and with that came a few problems. The wiring across the batteries did melt into the deep cell batteries, when I left the water pump on accidentally, resulting in a lot of smoke. Luckily someone came to our rescue and we found out the wiring was not linked to the fuse box properly. Incident after incident followed as if our journey was jinxed. A storm caused the tent poles to fall over, collapsing the tent whilst my wife was inside. Another problem allowed water to seep under the canvas during a storm, wetting our mattress. These incidences added real life drama into the story. It certainly produced good material to make Charlie Humbledink look like a real duffer.

There were also moments of clarity and understanding, as we travelled through the outback. Personally, it was an enriching experience as my wife and I really connected with the red red soil and vibrant landscape that Australia is famous for. I wanted to share that experience through the eyes of my characters.

One of the major themes in the book is about the Mice teaching humans how to reconnect with Mother Earth and the Animal Kingdom. As Izzy and Charlie deepen their connections with the environment, Charlie learns that he is able to converse with the animals. Izzy too finds herself reconnecting with the joys of nature. It is a journey of self-discovery, an invitation to the reader themselves, to experience that connection too.

The final book of the trilogy, follows the journey, where we begin to understand that love for the land that early the pioneers discovered. Thus, the phrase connecting to the ‘Heart of the Land’ is used as a metaphor to show that feeling of belonging, a deep connection and reverence for the outback.

The people of the outback, are a different breed of people and I wanted to weave that essence into the Mice’s adventures. For example, the Crocodile story is based on a true story about two fishermen in the Northern Territory who were knocked out of their boat by a Croc. They held off the Croc by throwing old spark plugs at the Croc until help arrived. The people that live in the Territory are survivors, and adapt to the life-threatening challenges that such an environment might throw at them.

Another story has the Mice spinning back in time, back to the 1800’s when cattle rustler Harry Redford stole a thousand head of cattle back in 1870. This story weaves the history of the outback into the Mice’s adventures, when the lawless side of the outback is shown in historical stories, of the men of the wild wild west. The Mice get to experience a cattle rush, when the cattle are disturbed by the call of a Dingo. Thankfully, the Mice were there to save the day. The story honours the brilliance of the Longreach ‘Stockman’s Hall of Fame’.

The outback’s history goes back further in time to 65 Million years, when Dinosaurs roamed the interior of Australia. At Winton, we visited the Dinosaur stampede. It was interesting to find a story dreaming inside my head as I sat watching the movie of the re-enactment of the scene.

Australia is an amazing country, rich with stories and unique wildlife. It is a diversity that needs to be honoured and cared for.

Writing can both energize or exhaust me, depending on my energy levels, or if my writing is flowing or not. I love writing when I feel the flow of a story coming through. It’s hard to keep up with creative thought so I tend to scribble it down, as my typing speed is too slow. I get into a zone where the words just flow out of me. I love it, particularly when a rhyming verse comes through. It’s like I’m channelling a story from the Spirit World. Of course, there are times when I’m tired or exhausted and then my writing is just hard work. Best then to let go of the obligation to write and go do something else.

I love writing when its quiet, or when I’m in nature, when I can feel myself tuning into the energy around me.

I certainly find it difficult to write if there are other projects to do. So, giving myself permission, and time to write is very important, away from the distracting list of things to do. 

What doesn’t work for my flow is when I am upset or not feeling balanced within myself. It is important that I feel aligned and energetically balanced. My wife conducts mediation groups, which I find beneficial to help keep me energetically aligned.

Other times I tune into nature as I run the dogs. We live out on a rural block, so connecting with the nature is easy. I love checking out the blossoms in Spring, or admiring the autumn leaves. I look at the sky and tune into the clouds and the mountains that surround us. I listen to the different birds that perch in the trees, or fly across the sky. I feel the wind on my face and notice the direction it is coming from. I smell the honey emitting from our Bee Hives, or another particular scent, when the wind is blowing a certain direction. My body and mind feels alive and alert to the magic of nature.

The flow of energy is an important part of my writing, so if I am angry or tired, then writing is out of the question. Often, I do a short mediation before I start writing, to get me into the vortex so to speak, to help my writing flow. I understand how a blank mind during a writing session can be considered a block. I also write when I feel inspired and fresh, especially first thing in the morning, when all is quiet and my wife is still asleep. I love those times to write!

I started reading other children’s books to discover what children are reading in this present day. A Librarian friend introduced me to Geronimo Stilton, the famous Mouse and Editor of the Rodents Gazette, written by Italian Elisabetta Dami. In the book stores, one can’t go past the Treehouse series by Andy Griffith and Terry Denton. David Walliams and Paul Jennings have also ventured onto my reading list. 

One of my favourite children books is by English author Anna Wilson, who wrote ‘I’m a Chicken, Get me out of Here!’ I loved the illustrations in her book, and thought my Harry and Larry series would look great with a similar style of cartoon characters. Another UK author, Anna Fargher, writes about a mouse story set during world war two. I like how ‘The Umbrella Mouse’ incorporates the historical events of WW2 into the storyline.

I also love ‘A Clue for Clara’ written by Tasmanian author, Lian Tanner, about a chicken who fancies herself as a famous detective. I love the humour and her human interaction. Her sequel ‘Rita’s Revenge.’ Is also very humorous and keeps one clued to the book to find out what happens. Lian also recently released her next book ‘Spellhound, A Dragons of Hallow book’.

Australia has a lot of wonderful authors including Deborah Abela, who wrote ‘The Book of Wondrous Possibilities’ – loved it! Reece Carter is the author of a delicious tale, ‘A Girl Called Corpse’. And Karen Foxlee wrote a mesmerising story called ‘Dragon Skin’.