Reading with a chance of tacos

You Two, You Two was a self-published picture book, and has been picked up by Hachette and is now a traditionally published book. To tell us all about the book's journey and how it's transitioned, what the process was like, together with what she's learned along the way, please welcome Brooke Hill Brooke Hill has worked for iconic Australian magazine titles  Harpers Bazaar  and  The Australian Wom...

Gavin Aung Than i s a New York Times bestselling cartoonist and creator of Zen Pencils , a cartoon blog which adapts inspirational quotes into comic stories. Zen Pencils has been featured by The Washington Post, National Geographic, and was named one of the Internet's top 100 websites in 2013 by PC Mag and has been collected into four books. He's popped in today to share his journey with us, along...

Get published! Be an author!   Write the next big kid's book!  For those people who want more on the process of writing for kids, for those who want to hone their craft, continue to grow, and want more of an understanding of the publishing industry, then Taco Bonus Episodes are for you! Today's episode features a few snippets from our first few Bonus Episodes.  

There are so many things to consider when self-publishing a book, from the quality of paper to finding the right illustrator to editing for the best story possible. We discuss the many challenges, but also the joys, of getting a book out into the world.  Louis White started as a journalist and newspaper and magazine publisher, before turning his pen to kid's books. He took his industry experience...

Ky Garvey is an author and mother of two sons who inspired her to write fun and engaging stories that turn challenges into triumphs. She is also the host of the Totally Lit Podcast. And, she's popped in today she share her remarkable journey of persistence and hard work with us. And, also the love and joy that comes with seeing your name on your very own picture book. The book is Easy Peasy and th...

Tim Harris is a multi-award winning author of several laugh-out-loud books for kids, including Toffle Towers series, Mr Bambuckle's Remarkables, Exploding Endings and his latest series, Ratbags. A former primary school teacher, his stories are filled with quirky scenarios, loveable characters, and plenty of imagination. Everything we want to talk about today. So everybody, please welcome, Tim Harr...

Emma Watkins   is a dancer, filmmaker, and picture book author. Her career began at the early age of three with Irish, ballet, hip hop, tap and contemporary dance. And, of course went on to be a member of the children's group the Wiggles   Apart from dancing, she has completed her master's degree in Media Arts and Communication and has a passion for sign language and raising awareness of Australia...

Rebecca Fraser is an award-winning author, with a solid career of writing across a variety of mediums. Her latest middle grade novel is titled, Sea Glass. She's popped in to tell us all about it, along with her process and some awesome writing tips. Plus Hayley, our regular teacher librarian is on the front line with the very audience our authors are writing for. It's vital we know what kids are r...

James Foley is one of Australia's favourite Author/Illustrators with books such as The Last Viking and the amazing Stellaphant.  He's popped in today for a fun chat all about his latest hilarious book, Secret Agent Mole.  We chat about his process for writing graphic novels, and the joy he gets from writing and promoting such a funny series. From Perth Western Australia, please welcome the amazing...

Nathan Luff  is a handstand extraordinaire, a playwright, and one of Australia's favourite children's authors. His latest series, The Nerd Herd has taken kids and adults by storm all over the country. He's popped in today to tell us all about the much-awaited Book 5 of the Nerd Herd series, as well share his writing journey and some valuable writing tips. Plus, Liv reviews a new graphic novel seri...

Sue Whiting has been in the children's book industry for over 20 years. She was Senior Commissioning Editor and Publishing Manager of Walker Books Australia before leaving in 2016 to focus on her own writing.  She has written many award winning books across various age groups, from picture books to YA.  And, she's popped in today to chat about her journey, her latest books and to offer up some unf...

Nova Weetman and Chris Kennett are the author and illustrator of one of the most incredible books on the market for kids today.  It's called Zooniverse the Complete Creature Collection and it's jam packed full of animal mash-ups, adventure and likeable characters. To tell us all about Zooniverse, plus tips on developing characters, hooking your readers, and developing story structure , it's the in...

Welcome to our first Taco Writers Group Podcast. We chat away to three aspiring authors about their dreams and goals for the future, our shared love of picture books, and special guest, the publisher of EK Books, Anouska Jones drops in for a QandA all about publishing books for kids. Anouska Jones Today's special guest has over 25 years publishing experience across various genres. She is currently...

Mary Anastasiou  is the author of the successful 'I want to be…' series of picture books. As well as the Creative Director of Larrikin House Books. She's popped in today to share her latest picture book Jimmy Bottoms and some tips on the craft of writing. How ideas are formed and how to run with them no matter the topic. 

Dannika Patterson began as a copywriter for small business before finding the courage to follow her dream and become a children's author. She now has over a dozen books published and in stores. She's popped in today to share her author journey and help us to find the sparks in our stories. Everybody please welcome the wonderful, Dannika Patterson. Plus, Rory H Mather drops in to share what's going...

Molly Burnham was the 2016 winner of the Sid Fleischman Award for Humour. She's popped in to talk about her latest book, The Infinite Questions of Dotti Bing. A book that finds humour in a heartfelt tale of grief and loss. She's popped in to share the book as well as some amazing tips on character building, being a question asker, the importance of humour, how humour can anchor a story, finding th...

Today's guests share the most amazing story of how they got together as author and illustrator. One was a primary school teacher and the other was a primary school student. One day the primary school teacher, who knew she was destined to be a writer, said to her grade 4 student, who she knew was destined to be an illustrator, "One day, I'm going to write a book, and when you're older, you can illu...

Reading with a chance of Tacos is a brand that's all about promoting kids books and the community of kids books. It's the ideal podcast for authors and illustrators who want to learn the craft of creating books for kids. We've notched up well over a hundred episodes with some of the best kids book creators in the business - authors, illustrators, editors, and publishers. So whether you're an estab...

In 2022 we aired over 70 episodes full of amazing kid lit creators sharing thier creative journeys, offering up awesome writing and illustration tips, and bringing such enthusiasm and joy for kids books.  So, before we kick off our 2023 episodes, here's a variety of clips from last year. There's no real theme, but there is an enormous amount of inspirational advice on the craft of writing for kids...

Author Rory H Mather drops in for a festive eggnog or two, and shares his favourite Christmas Picture Books both new and old. Over 15 Christmas Picture books reveiwed, and ideal for underneath the Christmas Tree this year.    

Middle grade author, Julie Grasso has popped in today to discuss the craft of pitching your story. How to pitch to a publisher? What makes a good pitch?  Why is a pitch so important? Plus, Hayley in the Library is back to wind up the school library year with what the kids are reading. 

Invaluable for anyone, author or illustrator, who wants to create kids books. Award-winning illustrator , Evie Barrow shares her process of illustrating picture books. From being handed a manuscript, to finding the theme, capturing the emotion, deciding what to illustrate, and creating her own story process. Reading the work – researching, deciding what to illustrate and creating story process. Pl...

Today's guest is a picture book author, with three books out in the world under her own publishing brand KLJ Publishing. She's popped in today to talk about her inspiration for the books, and how she did the leg work to get them into print and then into bookstores. Everyone please welcome, Kelly Jarris.

Today's guest talks to thousands of people around the world on the topic of writing books for kids, so we know what she has to say is always such awesome advice. She is the author of the best-selling Alice-Miranda series, Kenzy and Max series, the Clementine Rose series, and now the amazing Willa and Woof series of books. She's popped in to chat all about Willa and Woof, share her author journey a...

You are Loved is the wonderful picture book by Liv Downing. A book that's all about helping children, and indeed adults, understand that no matter what, you are always loved!  Our chat today is also about ensuring that you as a creator understand that what you do matters. How you look after yourself matters. And, making sure that your goals are aimed at the right target. Today's guest has over 20...