The weather was sad this morning, all dreary and grey and shadowless. Now there is sunshine and it is quite lovely. It will not last. Melbourne is a city where weather is the most talked about topic, that and football. It is a city that makes you live in the moment.

2015 is the Year of the Horse. Horses travel long distances so it is meant to be a travelling year which it certainly was for me. I went on five overseas trips. Three were to literature festivals. I never take for granted how lucky I am to be working in the children’s lit industry.

It has been a wonderful year for festivals. I was invited to Australian Writers’ Week in Beijing, Somerset on the Gold Coast, Asian Festival of Children’s Content in Singapore, Bendigo Writers Festival, Castlemaine Children’s Literature Festival, Bookaroo Festival in Delhi and Melbourne Writers’ Festival. Unfortunately the Edinburgh Festival overlapped another so I had to decline their invitation.

There are many fantastic things about being a children’s author and going to festivals is one of the delights.

The program with my artwork for the Australian Writers’ Week in Beijing. Read more Here

With my two lovely minders at Somerset Literature Festival on the Gold Coast. Read more Here

In my session at the Asian Festival of Children’s Content in Singapore. Read more Here

At the Bendigo Writers’ Festival with Sarah Mayor Cox, Sophie Masson and Lyn White. Read more here

Castlemaine Children’s Literature Festival where I conducted a Chinese painting workshop.

Bookaroo in India with fellow Australian author/illustrators Tohby Riddle and Oliver Phommavanh. Read more here

With Michael Wagner and Valanga Khosa in our joint session at the Melbourne Writers’ Festival

And now to my other travels which were just for fun but which also count as research. Ideas are everywhere.

South Island New Zealand. The beauty here takes your breath away.

What greater pleasure than to be painting on a balcony overlooking this stunning scenery. Queenstown, New Zealand.

Looking across the Golden Horn, Istanbul

The lucky street cats of Istanbul. Read more Here

Sunset over the Sahara. Read my blog on Morocco Here

Sleeping in the Sahara was definitely a highlight. Read my second blog post on Morocco here

And lastly, there is Pearlie. This is my second Our Australian Girl series. The four Pearlie books were published this year three months apart. I was so busy travelling I didn’t have time to send them off into the world. They are on their own journey now.

Have a wonderful, healthy and gentle New Year.

xx

Gabrielle and Hero