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In this episode, I chat with award-winning Australian middle-grade author Amelia Mellor, whose Grandest Bookshop in the World trilogy has captivated readers with its irresistible blend of real Melbourne history and magic.

Amelia shares the fascinating journey from collecting dozens of rejections to becoming a full-time author, and why she believes the success of The Grandest Bookshop in the World wasn't just about the writing. It also had a clear hook, strong structure, and something publishers could immediately see how to sell.

We dive into how Amelia turns meticulous research into magical stories, why history can be such powerful inspiration for children's fiction, what she's learned about writing authentically for young readers, and the enormous amount of thought that goes into making fantasy accessible rather than overwhelming.

Amelia also takes us behind the scenes of working with a traditional publisher, collaborating with editors, planning an entire five-book series, revising drafts, marketing books, and somehow fitting actual writing around everything else an author has to do.

And if school visits terrify you (like they do me!), stay until the end, because Amelia's wonderfully simple teacher-approved framework for structuring an author workshop might just change everything.

A warm, funny and genuinely inspiring conversation about imagination, persistence, craft, research and what it really takes to build a career writing books for children.

MORE ABOUT AMELIA:

Amelia Mellor is the author of the award-winning Grandest Bookshop Trilogy, a fantasy series for children inspired by Melbourne history. She started writing when she was eight years old, wrote plays for her high school during VCE, and holds postgraduate degrees in creative writing and teaching (primary and secondary).

When Amelia isn’t writing, surrounded by her collection of matryoshkas and tropical fish, she enjoys drawing, spotting wildlife and playing indie puzzle games.

Her new five-part children’s fantasy series, Oceanforged, launched in August 2025.

CONNECT WITH AMELIA:

Amelia Mellor’s website
Follow Amelia on Instagram

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Want to go deeper? Every week I write about the craft and psychology of writing children's books that transform young readers. It's free, it's called No More Boring Kids Books, and you can join us at nomoreboringkidsbooks.substack.com

And if you're ready to write your own children's book, The Picture Book & Middle-Grade Writing Blueprint is my complete step-by-step course.

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I had the absolute pleasure of speaking to one of the most innovative storytellers of our time, Brian Selznick.

Best known for The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Wonderstruck, The Marvels, and now Run Away With Me, Brian has spent his career redefining what stories can be.

In this conversation, we explore why illustrations should never simply repeat the text, how every story teaches readers how to read it, and why the most important discoveries about a book often don't arrive until years into writing it.

Brian also speaks openly about grief, trusting your subconscious, the themes that keep returning to your work, and why there is no single correct way to write a novel.

Whether you write picture books, chapter books, middle grade, or young adult, this conversation is a masterclass in storytelling that will stay with you.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How The Invention of Hugo Cabret evolved from a 98-page novella into a groundbreaking new reading experience.
• Why illustrations should do what words cannot.
• How every book teaches readers how to read it.
• Brian's unique creative process and why there is no single "right" way to write.
• Trusting your subconscious and giving stories time to reveal themselves.
• The recurring themes that become an author's creative DNA.
• Writing about grief, memory, love, and hope.
• Creating Run Away With Me and using Rome as both setting and character.
• Why authentic emotional experiences create unforgettable stories.
• The value of collaboration, experimentation, and following your curiosity as a writer.

Brian Selznick is an award-winning author and illustrator whose groundbreaking books have sold millions of copies and been translated into more than 35 languages.

He is best known for the Caldecott Medal-winning The Invention of Hugo Cabret, which was adapted into Martin Scorsese's Oscar-winning film Hugo. His bestselling books also include Wonderstruck, The Marvels, Big Tree, Kaleidoscope, and his latest young adult novel, Run Away With Me.

In addition to his own books, Brian illustrated the 20th Anniversary U.S. editions of the Harry Potter series and has collaborated with Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and other celebrated filmmakers throughout his career.

Brian lives between Brooklyn, New York, and La Jolla, California, with his husband, Dr. David Serlin, and continues to create some of the most original and emotionally resonant stories in children's and young adult literature.

Website: https://brianselznick.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebrianselznick

Support the show

Want to go deeper? Every week I write about the craft and psychology of writing children's books that transform young readers. It's free, it's called No More Boring Kids Books, and you can join us at nomoreboringkidsbooks.substack.com

And if you're ready to write your own children's book, The Picture Book & Middle-Grade Writing Blueprint is my complete step-by-step course.

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From bookstore shelf-stacker to traditionally published middle grade author, Meredith Davis takes us right inside how a book really makes it into the world. You'll learn what the three rounds of editorial actually look like, what a developmental editor sees that you can't, how illustration changed the way she writes her scenes, and how she and her publisher divide the marketing between them. Plus one of the most inventive book launch campaigns I've heard of, involving wax seals and a secret agency!

MORE ABOUT MEREDITH:

Meredith Davis is the author of THE MINOR MIRACLE and THE MINOR RESCUE, books one and two in THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF NOAH MINOR series (Waterbrook, 2024/25) and co-author of HER OWN TWO FEET: A RWANDAN GIRL’S BRAVE FIGHT TO WALK (Scholastic, 2019).

She once worked at an independent children’s bookstore, started the Austin Chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and earned her Masters of Fine Arts in Writing for Children and Young Adults at Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her superpowers include reading, grandmothering, wrangling her doodle and finding ways to fit more books in her Austin, Texas home.

IG: meredithdavisauthor

FB: Meredith Davis

Substack: Author With a Kidlit Crush

KidLit Studio is my monthly membership for children's book writers. Live group coaching, masterclasses, and six interactive workspaces that walk you through your own book, from first idea to launch day. US$29 a month, cancel anytime. https://www.elenapaige.com/kidlit-studio/

Support the show

Want to go deeper? Every week I write about the craft and psychology of writing children's books that transform young readers. It's free, it's called No More Boring Kids Books, and you can join us at nomoreboringkidsbooks.substack.com

And if you're ready to write your own children's book, The Picture Book & Middle-Grade Writing Blueprint is my complete step-by-step course.