Should all picture books rhyme? Why use animals as characters? And what’s the deal with working with an illustrator? Picture book author (of more than 15 books) Rory H. Mather joins the podcast in this episode to discuss all of these things, as well as his own journey into the industry, and his latest titles, Laugh in the Bath and Mumma Bear. 00:00 Welcome04:20 Writing tip: Learn to play an instrument (sort of)08:23 WIN!: The CIA Book Club by Charlie English11:40 Word of the week: ‘Psephology’12:30 The world of words: Capitalising the seasons14:05 Writer in residence: Rory H. Mather15:00 Rory explains his love of writing picture books18:45 How Rory got his start22:55 Where he gets his ideas from26:30 Why writing animals can be a good thing27:47 The importance of curiosity29:40 A discussion about picture books that rhyme31:39 Who is the picture book audience?32:30 Working with illustrators37:00 Selling books to publishers40:48 Remembering the first book he signed41:30 The economics of picture book writing42:30 Telling succinct stories45:05 Writing longer books47:33 More books coming up49:30 Final thoughts Read the show notes Connect with Valerie and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook Visit WritersCentre.com.au | ValerieKhoo.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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