Shae’s top tip: Join a writing group. In-person or online, or even better – both! The kidlit community has to be one of the friendliest, most helpful and inspiring group of gangsters I know! Find your scribe tribe! #ScribeTribe.
Shae Millward is the author of The Rabbit’s Magician, Koalas Like To and A Boy and a Dog. She aims to inspire through a love of books, the joy of reading and writing, and the art of storytelling. Shae enjoys writing picture books, short stories, poetry, song lyrics, funny or inspirational quotes, and more. She is based in sunny, sandy, seaside, subtropical Hervey Bay, Queensland. Shae’s creative writing skills once helped her win a trip to Disneyland!
SHAE’S WEBSITE: https://shaemillward.com/
Author Insight
Why do you write and what is about writing for children that keeps you producing stories for young readers? I love books and enjoy reading – and I have many wonderful authors to thank for that. Writing, which I also enjoy, has enabled me to become a part of the industry myself – and that is more thrilling than the thrilliest thriller novel (without any crime or spooky bits, just the excitement)!
Writing for children is funtastical!* My affection for books and stories developed from a young age, so to cycle that back and play some part in helping to inspire an early love of books in others is extremely rewarding – more thrilly-thrills!*
(*Please excuse my scientific terminology.)
What do you wish you’d been told before you decided to become an author? It changes the way you read. One moment you’re fully immersed in a novel’s storyline and the next you’re analysing style, syntax, dialogue, descriptive language, voice, tone; stopping in your tracks to admire a beaut metaphor or tipping your hat to a pesky typo – a true survivor – because you know darn well how many rounds of editing and proof-reading the text would have gone through.
Where do you find the inspiration for your stories? Anywhere. Everywhere. And sometimes they find me!
How has your childhood influenced the writer you’ve become? As an only child I was the lucky recipient of many treasured one-on-one story-time sessions. Also, as an only child, my imagination got a fantastic work-out from working out ways to entertain myself.
Learning to read and write came easily and I spent a lot of time reading books and writing my own stories. The tiny town I grew up in didn’t have a bookstore, but the library was ONLY ONE SHORT BLOCK AWAY FROM MY HOUSE! Convenient for frequent visits and lugging books back and forth.
I’m on the Autism spectrum, though it wasn’t diagnosed in childhood. My school reports showed top marks with comments about being too quiet. But, you know, the quiet ones are quite busy – listening, observing, contemplating, people watching, information gathering, etc. All are useful skills for writers.
Share a little about your path to publication. Trigger warning for aspiring authors: I was lucky enough to receive a contract for the first manuscript I submitted. Yup! Decided to give this writing thing a go, submitted to the slush pile, heard back from interested publisher, signed contract.
However, I was not in any writing groups (in-person or online), did not even know what writing groups were out there or all the benefits of them, had vague ideas of what I could or should be doing in regards to promotion and did not have any social media presence as a writer. I have learnt so much since then!
How closely were you involved in the creation of the illustrations for your beautiful book The Rabbit’s Magician? Are they what you envisioned for this story? Paul [Ford Street publisher] put Andy and I in contact from the start, he was happy for us to communicate back-and-forth freely, with him copied in on our emails. So we were able to bounce a lot of ideas around and make good progress. Even though I was in the loop throughout the process, just as The Amazing Albertino surprised and delighted the audience in the story, the amazing Andy surprised and delighted me with each picture. In the opening scenes, the depiction of that darling little rabbit staring up at the moon while his ears droop down captures the sense of waiting and longing. There are some beautiful silhouette moments with the moon as a backdrop that speak of Alby and Ziggy’s close relationship. The spread of Ziggy with the stars, rainbow and flowers has a peaceful ambience in perfect alignment with the words.
Do you experience ‘writer’s block’ and if so, how do you overcome it? *gasp* Ssshhh, don’t say that name! Don’t give that notion any power!
If I feel like I’m stuck on something, I switch to another part of the work or a different project altogether. It doesn’t even have to be writing-related – you could clean out a drawer, anything to feel productive and shift that mindset. Going for a walk or some form of movement also helps to get the energy flowing.
Writers are problems solvers. We’re always working out what to cut and what to keep, how to say something in a different way or how to make that sentence better. We solve problems – it’s what we do!
Is there an area of writing that you still find challenging? Writing a shopping list. Something is often missed. And I arrive home with items that weren’t even on the list, usually of the chocolate variety.
Writing cheques. I’d like to write cheques with a lot of zeros, but that ability has eluded me thus far.
And, obviously, writing serious answers to questions.
What are you working on at the moment? Well, I always have a bunch of ideas for picture book stories floating around, and my long-term work-in-progress is a middle-grade novel which I pick up between projects. I’m also creating a range of t-shirt designs. It’s a bit top secret at the moment, however, I can divulge that some designs are autism-championing and others are especially for writerly folk!
What’s the best aspect of your creative life? As well as being a whole lotta fun, there’s something quite magical about working with – or rather, playing with – imagination and creative energies.
—the worst? When I’m working on a rhyming book and my thoughts start coming in rhyme. I’ll be walking up & down the supermarket aisles with a stream of consciousness that goes something like:
I must remember toilet rolls,
Baked beans and spaghetti.
I also need some bread and cheese –
I’d better not forgetti!
How important is social media to you as an author? Social media is very important for book promotion, finding out about opportunities, connecting with other writers and people in the publishing world… and watching funny cat videos… and funny dog videos… and funny bird videos… ok, all the funny animal videos!
Living in a regional area makes social media even more valuable to me in terms of feeling connected to ALL OF THE COOL STUFF going on in the kidlit community.
In three words, how would you describe your writing? Thoughtful. Fun. Evolving.
If you had the chance to spend an hour with any writer of your choice, living or dead, who would it be and what would you most like them to tell you about living a writing life? Dan Brown. I’ve heard he takes frequent research trips – yeah, just casually popping into Paris, hanging out in Rome. I’d ask him all about this. If he tells me that it’s very important to visit the locations you intend to write about, then I think I’ll write a novel with a main character who spends a lot of time sipping drinks on a Hawaiian beach. I’ll just need to book a “research trip” first, haha!
Now for a little light relief – If you were going to be stuck in a stalled lift for several hours who would you choose to share the experience with you and why? M. Night Shyamalan, along with three other people. That would spook him. No, wait, that would spook me! So, I’ll change my answer to an escalator repairman – we can laugh at the irony!
Book Byte
Ziggy’s beloved magician has performed an amazing disappearing trick. But just where is The Amazing Albertino?
Ziggy waits.
And waits some more.
Has something gone wrong with the trick?
The Rabbit’s Magician is a gentle story of love, loss and comfort. It is a children’s picture book but offers comfort to anyone of any age who has lost a loved one – person or animal.
BOOK AVAILABLE AT: https://fordstreetpublishing.com/book/the-rabbits-magician/
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In Their Own Write 