A prodigious children’s book writer with well over 100 titles across a variety of genres to her credit, Jackie French is best known for her 1999 novel Hitler’s Daughter, which was awarded the 2000 CBCA Children’s Book of the Year Award for Younger Readers.

Another of her books, To the Moon and Back (co-written with Bryan Sullivan, illustrated by Gus Gordon, 2004) won the Children’s Book of the Year Award: Eve Pownall Award for Information Books in 2005 and a number of her other works have been either awarded or shortlisted as part of the CBCA Children’s Book of the Year Award honours.

She is also an avid gardener and conserver of endangered fruit species on her property out near Braidwood in NSW, as well as the author of a number of ground breaking books on theories and practices for pest and weed ecology.

We interviewed her at the Sydney Writers’ Festival where we asked her about her amazing publishing career and what we can expect from her in the future.

Interview by Danielle Williams, course manager of Australian Writers' Centre.

www.WritersCentre.com.au