Home About Sally News Photos Contact  
Sally Murphy's web site banner
Sally Murphy's web site banner Sally Murphy's web site banner Sally's Photo
Sally Murphy's web site banner Sally's Photo
All about Sally Murphy
 
Children's Books
Educational Books
Teacher's Resources
Activities
Visit Aussie Reviews

So, who is Sally Murphy? Good question - and one I sometimes ask myself!

I'm a mum, wife, daughter, teacher, speaker, web site manager, reviewer, story teller and, of course, author. While that sounds like a lot of things to be at once, I still find time to play with my kids, read books, watch tv, cook, clean and a million other things. I seem to thrive on being busy and, when I see a gap, I quickly plug it with another project.

I was born in 1968 in Perth, Western Australia. I had four older sisters and an older brother but it is a lie that the youngest child gets spoilt - even if my siblings don't believe that. As one of six kids I guess I always had someone to play with, but when they were all at school I also had lots of time by myself, when I would invent little fantasy worlds. Should have known then I'd grow up to be a writer!

Some of my earliest memories are to do with books and writing. I remember sitting in my Mum's office writing on a rainbow notepad. The fact that I couldn't write didn't stop me. I filled page after page with little squiggles and then made Mum post these letters off to my various relatives.

I also remember sitting on the mat at kindergarten reading Are You My Mother? to my classmates. I felt very smug that I was the only one who could read, even though I had probably just memorised the book.

When I was three we moved to a country town called Collie, where my parents had a hotel. Growing up in a country pub was interesting. My memories are mostly good but there were some traumatic times in 1978 when a bomb was planted in the pub. Luckily no one was injured when it exploded, but the building was damaged and there were some tense days before the man was arrested.

I went to school in Collie until year ten, then did the last two years at boarding school (which I hated) before going to university. I met my husband Julian in my first week at uni. We now have six children - five boys and a girl.

Having lived in lots of places since we got married - mostly around Western Australia, but we also spent a year in Papua New Guinea - we now live in a tiny town in the Wheatbelt, halfway between Perth and Kalgoorlie. There are only sixty people in the town, and eight of them are us! It is very quiet here, but a great lifestyle for kids and a good place to lock yourself away and write.

We have been here for three and a half years. When we came here I decided to use the quiet lifestyle to pursue my dream of writing for children. I had been trying to get published all of my adult life and had already had four books of educational printables published, but in 2001 I decided to put everything I could into fulfilling my dream of being a children's author.

It worked. In six amazing weeks later that year I had first a chapter book, then another, then two reading books and, finally, my first junior novel accepted. I was flying!

Since then I haven't looked back and I now have fourteen books in print and another eight accepted for publication.

I still have lots of things I want to achieve with my writing and loads more stories I want to see published, but for now I am happy to be able to say I AM a children's author.

As well as writing for children, my other passion is spreading the word about great books. I run a review web site called Aussiereviews (www.aussiereviews.com) where I review as many Australian books as I can find time to read. I also review children's books for Reading Time, the magazine of the Children's Book Council of Australia.

I also appear at literary festivals and do school visits. Most recently I was a presenter at the Re:Views and ALLWrite Festivals in Adelaide.

If you wish to contact me, you can send me an email from my contact page.
Ladybug reading a book

back to top

Home About Sally News Photos Contact