The Australian Women's Register

Phipson, Australian children’s author, describes her early life; mother’s ambivalence to Australia; joining Uncle’s family in India during WW1; reactions to signing of armistice; return to England at end of war; return to Australia on troopship; schooling at Frensham; trips back to England; beginning writing; purchasing a Hogarth press in London for the school, on advice of Leonard Woolf; return to Frensham as a teacher; printing of Rosemary Dobson’s first book of poems; copywriting in Sydney, WW2; joining WAAAF; marriage, family property at Mandurama, NSW; publication of first stories Christmas in the Sun, It Happened One Summer; Good Luck to the Rider; Six and Silver; writing for children; ideas for her books. Philson discusses her Australian settings; writing about the sea; historical writings; characterisation; Peter and Butch; themes; The Way Home; interest in conservation; fantasy themes; plot development; story planning; endings; her favourite book; vividness of her characters; altering fact for fiction purposes; reaction to her writing from children; criticism; editing; rejection from publisher; various publishers of her work; differences in writing for British and American markets; methodology; Patrica Wrightson; The Magic Pudding; writing for different age groups; her childhood reading; contact with other writers; illustrator Margaret Horder; awards; writing for contemporary children; work in progress.