Featured image by Ksenia Makagonova on unsplash

Maybe you too have been asked, “What’s your favorite book?”
My all-time favourite is The Sailor Dog by Margaret Wise Brown, with illustrations by Garth Williams. As you might guess, it’s a children’s book. First published in 1953 as a Little Golden Book, it has been delighting readers for generations.

Scuppers the sailor dog was my hero back in the day—sailing in “Kitty,” his little wooden boat with patchwork sails. The picture of Scuppers standing bravely on the bowsprit, spyglass to his eye, the deep green sea all around, has stayed with me. It captures the vision I have as an author—both for the stories I write and for my own voyage through life. In short: I love writing adventure stories. Ones filled with heroes and villains, mysteries, fantastic worlds, and creatures where anything might be possible. On these voyages of imagination, I hope young readers discover the deeper themes of friendship, family, courage, sacrifice, and love.

The Stormy Sea is Home for Me

I have been writing for nearly two decades. People sometimes ask why I started writing stories. It wasn’t always an interest of mine. I wasn’t a voracious reader growing up, but I read widely and often. I think this is common among writers. Two things, however, really set my pen to page.

Firstly, my father, John Malone (now an octogenarian), is a poet. Writing, you could say, is in the Malone blood. Countless poems by John have appeared in The School Magazine, where my own stories now appear. Like me, he writes every day and keeps a very popular blog. You can read it here.

Secondly, I moved to Austria with my family in 2006. As much as it was a great adventure at the start, I often felt like Scuppers when he was shipwrecked on that windswept shore: homesick and a very long way from home. Writing eventually helped me mend the hole in my own sailing boat and send me back out into the deep green sea. Stormy as life can be, I’m now at home in it—wherever I may be.

My Shiny Brass-Buttoned Coat

Reading The Sailor Dog now, I ask myself: Where am I in this story? There’s a picture of Scuppers in his new sailing outfit—the old one in tatters after being shipwrecked—a funny white hat and shoes, and a smart blue coat with shiny brass buttons. He stands with his provisions: a new rope, a clean handkerchief, and a bushel of oranges. This time, he really is ready for a great sailing adventure! This is how I feel. My new website is “Kitty”,the little wooden sailing boat—small, yet sturdy and cosy below decks, with a hook for everything. And my voyage ahead is charted through the stories I write.

Join Me on This Creative Voyage

I invite you to explore the website and The Big Red Balloon podcast. You’re also welcome to follow my blog. Like a captain’s journal, I’ll use it to chart the voyage ahead and share what I discover with you. As I cast off, I hope to share insights into my writing process, podcast adventures, and reflections on creativity and life. But who can be sure where the voyage may lead?