Can you tell me more about how you came up with the idea for the story, and how the collaboration with Judy Horacek came about? “Where is the Green Sheep?” is one of my daughter’s favourite books. They all encouraged me to try, and try again.

My adoring, biased, supportive husband kept my spirits up, as did booksellers and librarians whom I knew. It was extraordinarily discouraging when “Hush the Invisible Mouse”, as it was then, was rejected nine times over five years. How did you get the confidence to keep shopping it around till you found a publisher? I chose possums because we had possums on our roof and the babies were adorable. The last, Omnibus Books in Adelaide, accepted it but asked me to cut the story by two thirds, re-write it more lyrically, make it even more Australian and change the mice to a cuddly Australian animal. My lecturer raved about my story and urged me to try to have it published. I wrote a four and half page story called “Hush the Invisible Mouse”. In the years that I’d been reading to Chloë, I’d been shocked and dismayed by the very few Australian books available for Australian children so I determined to write a very Australian book. One of the first assignments was to write a children’s book. I couldn’t keep up with her passion for books so I decided to take a course in children’s literature to find out about as many books as possible that might interest her. What was your inspiration for your first book, the famous “Possum Magic?” You can hear Mem speak in person as part of the festival on December 4 at Parramatta Riverside Theatre. As part of the Children’s Festival of Moving Stories I was able to ask Mem about her famous books, her writing process and why it’s important to read to your kids every day. Occasionally, blogging brings me great opportunities, like the chance to interview children’s author Mem Fox.

Possum magic book