I'm doing what I like to do most at the end of a year – starting a new book. Sure, it's not quite as relaxing as lazing around a pool or cleaning the oven, but that's the thing about this author business – when there's a book demanding to be written you just have to do it.

In the past I've tried ignoring books and doing holiday stuff instead, but it just doesn't work. No matter what your body's doing, your head's in the book. I don't think I'm alone here. I've often seen other authors on holiday and I can tell instantly when they'd rather be at home writing. Little clues like the glazed expression on their faces as they fall off the white-water raft or the listless way they hang from the bungy rope.

My new book's called Girl Underground. It's a companion book to Boy Overboard. The characters are different but it's a continuation of some of the same themes. I don't want to say too much about the storyline till I've finished the first draft next month, but I can reveal that it involves some young Australians trying to tunnel into a desert detention centre to free the refugee kids inside.

I'll be pausing at my keyboard this month and raising a glass of champagne and carrot juice to celebrate this site's fourth birthday. Thanks to my webperson extraordinaire (and brother) Nick, morrisgleitzman.com continues to sail smoothly through the cyber seas welcoming visitors from all nations and skillfully avoiding jagged rocks and all forms of advertising apart from my books, tapes, CDs, videos, movies, TV series and plays. Thanks Nick.

Before I started writing the new book, I made a new year resolution. In 2004 I'm going to try to visit more schools. This year I visited about 50 in Australia and 10 in Britain. Next year I want to get to even more. So if you're a teacher, librarian, parent, student or school cat and you'd like me to visit your school, read on. There is a fee involved, but not too many of the schools I've visited have had to sell their sports teacher to Manchester United to meet the cost.

My school visits in Sydney and NSW are handled by Lateral Learning (phone 02 9960 4844, email bookings@laterallearning.com) and in Melbourne and the rest of Australia by Booked Out (phone 03 9533 6717, email bookings@bookedout.com.au). They'll happily give you any further information you need.

If your school is in Britain, my visits there are looked after by Speaking Of Books (email jan@speakingofbooks.co.uk). For the rest of the world, you'd better contact me direct via the Visitor's Page on this site because we'll have a few important things to discuss like airfares and travel shots and whether you're prepared to have them for me.

Until next time, oo-roo, happy Christmas, a safe and book-filled new year, and I hope to meet up with you soon in your school or your reading or perhaps, even better, both.

11 December 2003