About Jill

About Jill Chocolate éclairs with whipped cream. That's what started me writing. Honestly. When I was at boarding school, the tuckshop sold these scrummy yummy éclairs. The daygirls paraded around with them at recess but I could only drool. I spent most of my pocket money on spectacle repairs so, to earn chocolate éclair money, I began writing short pieces for women's magazines. Over the years, I continued to sell stories and articles but it was always a hobby. Then, around 1992, I took a teaching job on a remote Indigenous community in Western Australia. My role was to teach reading and writing to children who were fluent in several Aboriginal languages but not English. They had little interest in the glossy readers on the library shelves; stories about pet parades and party dresses weren't on their list of Top Ten Fascinating Reads. Challenged by this, I began writing poems about the kids' own immensely rich experiences of desert life. The very first poem was called Anna the Goanna. Anna the goanna Is fat and slow, Her belly is like jelly Wobbling to and fro, Here come the hunters Looking high and low, Go Anna! Go Anna! Goanna go! As time went on, I had an impressive collection of poems, and my students thrived on them. Other teachers asked for copies and eventually I sent the poems to a publisher. Three years later (nothing happens quickly in the publishing world), Anna the Goanna and other poems was born. I'll admit it, the minute that baby hit the bookshelves I was sold on being an author. I loved doing media appearances (in a scared kind of way) and I loved  visiting schools to share my writing. Before long, I was writing my heart out. In time, more poems were published as well as short stories, plays, beginning readers, chapter books, mid-grade novels and non-fiction books. In fact, I reckon I've published almost 100 titles in the last six years. I've been on a roll and I guess I'm still rolling.

 

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