In Conversation with
Kaye Baillie
Tell us about your most recent publication.
WHEN THE WATERHOLE DRIES UP is a picture book illustrated by Max Hamilton and published by Windy Hollow Books with a target audience of age 3+. In this rollicking tale told in cumulative style, a dusty outback boy waits for his long-awaited-for bath to fill. But the native animals are very cheeky and one by one, they invade the bathtub. Chaos ensues. The precious water is sloshed everywhere, and the bath is emptied. How will this boy ever get clean?
What do you enjoy most about being a writer?
Having a creative outlet for my ideas. It feels like magic to take a thought or idea and turn it into a fully rounded story.
What is the hardest thing about writing?
When a book is released I find the promotional side quite challenging as I’m not very comfortable talking in front of an audience or at selling my books.
Writers are sometimes influenced by things that happen in their own lives. Are you?
My first two books were educational readers and were based on me being afraid of diving at the pool and seeing someone using sign language on a long train trip. After that I wanted to write about other people’s experiences which I found far more interesting or to write about something made up. My first three picture books were based on real events such as a soldier’s letter, a boy who hated reading until he read to cats at an animal shelter and the true story of John Wing who wrote a letter changing the closing ceremony of the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games.What is the most surprising thing about writing/publishing that you have learnt
I think it’s the submission process. When I started out I thought I’d hear back from editors quickly. As the years went on I realised that it was more likely that I wouldn’t hear back or that if I did it could anywhere from three weeks to seven months, and that’s for a rejection or an acceptance.
How did you get published?
My first book was an educational PM Reader called Diving At The Pool with Cengage Learning. I was studying for my Diploma of Professional Writing and Editing and my tutor in the Writing For Children class told me I should visit an editor she knew at Cengage (back then it was Thomson Learning), whose office was in the same street where I was living at the time. So I did. After I wrote the story I sent it directly to that editor and one year later I received a letter of acceptance.My first trade book was Archie Appleby and the Terrible Case of the Creeps illustrated by Krista Brennan and published by Wombat books. I read that they were looking for junior chapter books, so I sent it in, went through a few rounds of editing with them and it was accepted.
My first picture book, Message In A Sock illustrated by Narelda Joy was sent through the slush and accepted by MidnightSun Publishing.
Do you have a favourite character from your stories? Spill the beans and tell us about them.
My heart goes out to Boo because he is waiting at an animal shelter for someone to love him. He is patient, gentle, a great companion and he helps Phoebe to overcome her fears.
How can we learn more about you?
Thank you for joining In Conversation this week. Remember to always
Dream Big ... Read Often.
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