Featuring Di Walker on Kelly’s Writerly Q&A gives me so much joy! Because when rejection was getting me down, Di was lovely enough to reach out and inspire me to keep going.

Di is a school teacher who lives in country Victoria (near where I grew up). She writes middle grade fiction and is an author who posts insightful blogs about writing.

Unpacking Harper Holt (Di’s debut novel) had me absolutely balling my eyes out - her characters are just so real! And this interview was such fun, it’s full of interesting insight on writing and how luck factored into when Di got published.

Hi Di, thanks for taking the time to answer some writerly questions. First of all, congratulations on the re-release of your second novel Every Thing We Keep! Could you start by reminding us of what it’s about?

Hello Kelly, thanks for the invitation to be part of your blog. I’ve been following it – it’s a great read. Congrats.

Every Thing We Keep is about Agatha, who is 13 and in and out of foster care. Without giving away the reason why, Agatha’s parents became hoarders and that made it impossible for Agatha to stay with them. It’s a story about a grieving family, about understanding and friendship and ultimately about Agatha’s strength to find her own way.

Sounds like another wonderful, heartfelt tear-jerker! How did you come up with the idea for the story?

My manuscripts start with a name, then an idea and then an opening line or paragraph. The name Agatha was in my mind and wouldn’t go away. I could picture a girl with an orange suitcase sitting on a step – but I didn’t know why. At the same time, I was decluttering a cupboard and I made a comment to my son about hoarding – it was random. A week later as I was driving to Melbourne for a conference there was a conversation on the radio about the effects of hoarding on children. And there it was – Agatha was on a step, with her suitcase, waiting to be taken home to her parents who had been ordered to clean up parts of their house to get her back. A few other things happened that week that consolidated the idea, and by the weekend I had started writing.

What a beautiful and amazing process! Your main character presented herself and her problem just for you to solve. How long did it take you to write? 

Agatha took about six weeks to write. I don’t plan out the whole story, I just write what I see in my mind – it’s like watching a movie. So, the first draft doesn’t take long but it is a blurt write so there’s a lot of work to do after that to polish it.

Visualisation is such a handy tool, what a great way to get the words down so quickly! What prompted the need for Every Thing We Keep to be revised?

There were a few factors – some feedback and a new editing team. I’m not quite sure what happened just before publication, but it needed another fine edit, and the new team did that for the e-book and then Scholastic decided to reprint the revised edition. I’m thrilled that they did because it’s just perfect now.

That’s great that you had a team willing to fine tune and re-release Every Thing We Keep. Let’s talk about querying and publishing, how did you get a yes for your first novel Unpacking Harper Holt?

It was pure luck. I had written Harper at a time when Walker Books had opened Walker Wednesday. At that time they were looking for a middle grade manuscript that was emotional, and dealt with themes like grief and my first few chapters landed on the desk of Nancy Conescu’s who was an editor with WBA at that time. She emailed me for the rest of it, and we went from there.

It was just luck in the timing. I’ve learnt that getting published is not just about the quality of your manuscript – there are so many factors on the publishing house side – what are they looking for, are they trying a new direction, do they already have that genre or age group covered… timing is everything.

I had sent Harper out to several other publishers without even a hint of being interested. I sometimes wonder if I had waited for the next Walker Wednesday if Harper would have made it – they would be looking for something else. Serendipity.

What a fabulous success story! I’m sure that Nancy also recognised that Harper is special.

Why do you write?

I just like being in that head space – me and the characters and the evolving story. Because I don’t plan my stories, I’m just as surprised as the reader when something happens. In Every Thing We Keep, for example, there’s a part when Agatha is on a train, it’s raining. The train stops at a station, the doors open and a new character steps in. In my mind I could picture her, and her dad, just stepping onto the train. I’m like, “Who are you?” She would become a pivotal character in the story – I just didn’t know it at the time. Her character arrived fully formed – name, personality. I hardly had to add anything just write what I saw.

I love that part of writing- the surprises. I can guarantee you, if a reader is surprised by a twist in the story or has an emotional reaction, I had the same experience when writing it. Some readers have told me they have cried at certain parts – I know the parts because I was crying as the words landed on the page.

It was the same in Unpacking Harper Holt. I knew at the end of a chapter that the next chapter was going to be devastating for Harper and her family – it was hard to write because I was devastated too. It sounds strange when I explain it out loud – but that is how it works for me.  

The emotion you manage to inject into your writing shows. Now I know why I cried real tears for Harper.

What does your typical day of writing look like? 

I write early – starting at about 5.15am or so for an hour. I write in complete chapters. If I’m writing a manuscript, I write every day until it’s done – so six to eight weeks. I like to write at this time because my mind is clear. I edit or do research in the evening. I can’t write new parts in the evening – the characters just aren’t there. There are times, especially during the editing phase that I just get stuck – I don’t know what to change or how to fix something. So, I walk the dogs. I think it’s the fresh air, the rhythm of walking that just sets me back on track. 

I love the routine you have. Having a schedule like this ensures that your mind is in the right mode at all times.

What kinds of books do you like to read? 

I like to read a book in one sitting if I can – mystery, crime… anything that just absorbs me into the story. Any book really that when I start, I just have to read to the end.

You must be a fast reader. I can only manage a maximum of 100 pages in one sitting.

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors? 

There’s a lot of advice out there, courses, books on writing that can help but there’s no one way to be a writer. So, believe in yourself, be open to feedback and persist. Find your way of being a writer.  

Such great advice. Belief and persistence always wins. So, what can we expect from you next?

I’ve just signed with Scholastic for my next middle grade novel, and we’re about to start the editing process. I think it could be out and about in mid-2023, fingers crossed. At this stage, Kelly, I can’t tell you anything – not even the title so let’s talk again next year and I’ll tell you everything about it.

Ooh, I’m intrigued and would love to chat again next year! Congratulations on a third signing, and all the best with everything.

Thank you so very much for chatting again. It feels like so long since we first connected, but I haven’t forgotten how kind you were to encourage me to keep querying, and how you inspired me to launch this website and blog series. Authors truly are the best people!

Take a look back at my very first blog When A Low Moment Turns Into Motivation to find out what happened the first time we chatted.

And follow Di Walker on Instagram to stay up to date on her next book.

Thanks for reading!

Kelly