As I sit here gently stroking the cover of my new book, Toad Away, I reckon it's time I paid tribute to some of the people who helped make it look so wonderful and gorgeous. OK, I am a bit biased, but I haven't spotted a single ugly bit and I've been staring at it closely for weeks now. Oh alright, and kissing it.

The first person I want to thank is Rod Clement. If you've seen the Australian covers of my other two cane toad stories, Toad Rage and Toad Heaven, you'll already have spotted what a great cane toad illustrator Rod is. I don't know if Rod has cane toads at home as pets, but he certainly knows how to capture Limpy, Goliath and Charm in all their loveable moods. He's a very clever bloke. Perhaps he was a cane toad in a past life.

The person who decides exactly what my Australian books will look like, inside and out, is Penguin designer Debra Billson. (That means she works for Penguin Books, not designs penguins, though she could probably do that too.)

Debra has an amazing talent. She can listen patiently to an author's vision for a cover, nodding politely and smiling encouragingly every couple of hours. She doesn't mind that the author knows nothing about illustration, photography, printing, lettering, colour or design. Then she goes away and does something magic with her computer and comes back with a cover that perfectly captures the author's vision. And when the author tells her he's got an even better vision she doesn't stab him with a pencil or anything.

Someone else who plays an important role in making my covers look good is my publisher Laura Harris. She's a creative thinker, a drinking fountain of publishing wisdom, and also an expert on toads. (I think she's been out with a couple.) Laura knows what sort of covers make people want to pick a book up. It was her idea to give Limpy warts you can actually feel on the cover of Toad Away. She's got a lot of medical wisdom too, and she promises nobody will catch warts from handling the book. Unless they take it out of the shop without paying.

Laura also had the idea of putting the page of stickers in the back of Toad Away. Being a younger sister herself, she knows how younger siblings can feel left out when their older brother or sister gets a new book, and how nothing salves hurt feelings like having a little toad stuck to your head.

I'm very lucky to have such wonderful people working on my books, and, as I cuddle Toad Away and use Limpy's warts to smooth the rough bits off my elbows, I thank them all.

Until next time, oo-roo and happy reading,

14 November 2003