I love to laugh and I’m a big comedy fan, but I’m a pretty emotional person – I even tear up watching reality TV! – so I guess that comes through in my writing. Michael: Well they say there’s a fine line between comedy and tragedy and I think that’s true. Karen: How do you write comedy and tragedy that touch our hearts and our funny bones? I like my first draft to be as close as I can get it to the final story.

I usually do three drafts but I also do a great deal of editing and rewriting of those drafts along the way. I do a lot of thinking and wondering about a story before I ever write anything and I can’t type the first word until I have seen an ending of some sort.

A story slowly grows as you start finding other bits of the jigsaw that fit. The answers I make up usually create many more questions. Michael: I get interested in that initial thought or idea and start wondering and asking myself questions about it. Karen: How do you fully develop these ideas? Each of those gave me that feeling that there might be a good story there, if I could just find the other pieces put it all together. My books have been variously inspired by childhood memories, a magazine photo, the opening line of a novel, an old movie, the name of a dog, and in the case of the Eric Valebooks, incorrectly typing ‘epic fail’ one day as ‘eric fail’. I liken it to coming across one interesting piece of a jig-saw puzzle and then trying to figure out what the rest of the picture is, one piece at a time. Michael: Inspiration can come from anywhere at any time. Karen: Where do you get your inspiration for your books? I interviewed Michael to reveal his writing secrets and how he connects with his audience. I, Karen Tyrrellattended Michael’s comedy workshop at the CYA conference, inspiring me to write humour in my children’s resilience books. His books, which are regularly set as school texts, are sold in over 40 countries and translated into 12 languages. Michael is in high demand for author talks at schools. His most recent publications, the very funny Eric Vale and Secret Agent Derek ‘Danger’ Dale series for younger readers, are fully illustrated by his film-maker son Joe Bauer. His popular books include The Running Man, the Ishmael trilogy and Just a Dog. Meet Michael Gerard BauerAustralian award winning children’s author.

Just a Dog by Michael Gerard Bauer