Betty Collerson
Name: Betty Collerson
Writes: Picture Books, Junior Fiction
Social Media:
www.bettycollerson.com.au
LinkedIn - au.linkedin.com/pub/betty-collerson/
Bio
I was born and raised on the mouth of the Amazon River, Brazil, in a town called Belém. The oldest of six children, our busy home was across the road from the Emilio Goeldi Museum/Zoo, which was our playground and helped to educate us in the zoology, botany and anthropology of the Amazon region.
My childhood was populated by interesting incidents involving native animals. Like when a spider monkey escaped from the Goeldi Museum and ended up in my bedroom in the middle of the night.
After arriving in Australia in 1990, I graduated with an honours degree in psychology by Griffith University and was awarded a research PhD in Cognitive Psychology by the University of Queensland in 2009, but other than my family and dogs, my true passions are creative writing and photography.
Through my stories, I hope to entertain children and instigate curiosity for all things Amazonian. My inspiration are the native Amazonians, who for thousand of years have developed ways of life that are in harmony with nature, and who believe that they’re reborn through their grandchildren
Writes: Picture Books, Junior Fiction
Social Media:
www.bettycollerson.com.au
LinkedIn - au.linkedin.com/pub/betty-collerson/
Bio
I was born and raised on the mouth of the Amazon River, Brazil, in a town called Belém. The oldest of six children, our busy home was across the road from the Emilio Goeldi Museum/Zoo, which was our playground and helped to educate us in the zoology, botany and anthropology of the Amazon region.
My childhood was populated by interesting incidents involving native animals. Like when a spider monkey escaped from the Goeldi Museum and ended up in my bedroom in the middle of the night.
After arriving in Australia in 1990, I graduated with an honours degree in psychology by Griffith University and was awarded a research PhD in Cognitive Psychology by the University of Queensland in 2009, but other than my family and dogs, my true passions are creative writing and photography.
Through my stories, I hope to entertain children and instigate curiosity for all things Amazonian. My inspiration are the native Amazonians, who for thousand of years have developed ways of life that are in harmony with nature, and who believe that they’re reborn through their grandchildren
Publications:
Chatterbox Rosa in Charms Volume 1. Ed. Sally Odgers. First Published November 2013 by Printscharming Books (www.printscharmingbooks.com).
10 Questions with Betty
Which writer(s) inspire you?
Jackie French; Libby Gleeson; Margaret Wild; Gabrielle Wang; Colin Thompson; Julia Donaldson; Sherryl Clark; Sally Odgers; Peter Carnavas; Bronwyn Bancroft; Monteiro Lobato (Brazil’s most influential writer of children’ books), to name a few!
Which illustrator(s) inspire you?
Lucia Masciullo; Gabrielle Wang; Kit Williams; Anthony Browne; Bruce Whatley; Axel Scheffler; Freya Blackwood; Matt Ottley; Peter Carnavas, Bronwyn Bancroft; Laura Vaccaro Seeger, to name just a few!
What draws you to writing for children specifically?
Reading, and a love of books, is an important element in a child’s development. Thus, I’m draw to the idea of making a contribution to a child’s development through my stories.
How long have you been writing?
As a teenager (a long time ago!) I wrote poetry. Then, when my children were little and growing up in Brazil, about 34 years ago, I started writing children’s stories for them, but never sought publication. I took up writing for children again about 2 years ago, motivated by the arrival of grandchildren, and had my first story published in November 2013.
Which professional writing bodies are you a member of?
Book Links, CBCA, SCBWI, QWC and Writers Link.
Who is your dream publisher?
Scholastic and Black Dog Books (Walker Books Australia & NZ)
Best time of day to write
Any time I can grab, but never late at night.
What are your writing goals?
To write well-crafted children’ books that resonates with publishers and readers.
Was there a particular book in your childhood that had a big influence on you?
All the children’ books by Monteiro Lobato. He was a fantastic educator and entertainer.
Is there a particular theme or underlying subjects that runs through your writing?
I enjoy writing stories depicting animals from the Amazon rainforest, and a theme that weaves itself into these stories, never in an overt way, is the need to look after these animals because some are now critically endangered.
Chatterbox Rosa in Charms Volume 1. Ed. Sally Odgers. First Published November 2013 by Printscharming Books (www.printscharmingbooks.com).
10 Questions with Betty
Which writer(s) inspire you?
Jackie French; Libby Gleeson; Margaret Wild; Gabrielle Wang; Colin Thompson; Julia Donaldson; Sherryl Clark; Sally Odgers; Peter Carnavas; Bronwyn Bancroft; Monteiro Lobato (Brazil’s most influential writer of children’ books), to name a few!
Which illustrator(s) inspire you?
Lucia Masciullo; Gabrielle Wang; Kit Williams; Anthony Browne; Bruce Whatley; Axel Scheffler; Freya Blackwood; Matt Ottley; Peter Carnavas, Bronwyn Bancroft; Laura Vaccaro Seeger, to name just a few!
What draws you to writing for children specifically?
Reading, and a love of books, is an important element in a child’s development. Thus, I’m draw to the idea of making a contribution to a child’s development through my stories.
How long have you been writing?
As a teenager (a long time ago!) I wrote poetry. Then, when my children were little and growing up in Brazil, about 34 years ago, I started writing children’s stories for them, but never sought publication. I took up writing for children again about 2 years ago, motivated by the arrival of grandchildren, and had my first story published in November 2013.
Which professional writing bodies are you a member of?
Book Links, CBCA, SCBWI, QWC and Writers Link.
Who is your dream publisher?
Scholastic and Black Dog Books (Walker Books Australia & NZ)
Best time of day to write
Any time I can grab, but never late at night.
What are your writing goals?
To write well-crafted children’ books that resonates with publishers and readers.
Was there a particular book in your childhood that had a big influence on you?
All the children’ books by Monteiro Lobato. He was a fantastic educator and entertainer.
Is there a particular theme or underlying subjects that runs through your writing?
I enjoy writing stories depicting animals from the Amazon rainforest, and a theme that weaves itself into these stories, never in an overt way, is the need to look after these animals because some are now critically endangered.
