Hello! I'm Michelle Robinson and I write books for children. Thanks for visiting. You can find out more about me and discover some of my best writing tips below.

Fun Facts About Me

• I have two cats named Chicken and Willow
• Some of my favourite books are Charlotte's Web, The BFG and Hop On Pop​​
• I make mistakes all the time, but I never give up
• My books have won lots of awards​
• I'm scared of ugly fish
• ​One of my books went to space
• I love to learn, but I'm not always good at remembering the new things I discover
• I am from England, but I live in Nova Scotia, Canada - the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi'kmaq People 

Growing up (kind of)

My first ever book!

I've dreamed of being an author since I was five. Before I learned to write, I'd fill whole notepads with squiggly lines that looked a bit like joined-up writing. I grew up in a working class household and was the first person in my whole family to go to university. It wasn't easy. I had to work a part-time job as well as studying, but I didn't mind. I was hungry to learn, I had big dreams and I wanted to try and fulfil them,

When I finished university I started working in advertising agencies as a copywriter, coming up with the ideas and words for ads and marketing campaigns. I started writing stories in my spare time, early in the morning and late at night. My first real book came out in 2012. I couldn't quite believe it. Sixty-something books later, I still can't quite believe it - and I'm still working all the hours I can, in between being mum and all that other grown-up stuff.

What's it like to be an author?

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I'm often asked this question. My answer is always the same: Being an author feels BRILLIANT. I love writing and sharing my stories with children. I am incredibly fortunate to have a job that makes me so happy.

Every time I receive a copy of my latest book in the mail, I feel giddy with joy. Having actual books with my name on the front reminds me I can do it, so long as I keep trying and don't give up. 

​If you ever find reading and writing tricky, just remember: so do authors.

My writing tips

• Practice makes perfect: try writing a little bit every day. Doodling is never a waste of time.
• Don't worry if it goes wrong: mistakes and false starts help you become a better writer. I still write stories that aren't good enough to become books.
• Ask for a dictionary for your birthday. You don't need to fill your stories with too many words, but it's fun finding out what they all mean. 
• READ! Join a library and borrow books for free. Librarians will help you find books you'll enjoy.

• Re-write familiar stories in your own words. It's a bit like having stabilisers on a bike - the more you write, the more confident you get, and the more original your own stories will become. You'll soon chuck out those stabilisers and free-wheel!
• Having dyslexia doesn't mean you can't write. For example, Tom McLaughlin, who illustrated my Chicken Nugget stories, is dyslexic and he's one of the very best children's authors on the planet. 

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