4 minute read
SUNSHINE COAST’S YOUNGEST AUTHOR, LINCOLN RAWLINS, INSPIRES YOU TO START TODAY
BY ROXANNE McCARTY-O'KANE
“I hear many people say they want to write a book, but why do they think they must wait? Why can’t they do it now?”
Out of the mouths of babes! This was what my 11-year-old son Lincoln Rawlins said to a journalist from 7News during an interview for the release of his second book, Super Sprout. Why do aspiring authors feel like they have to wait? Lincoln is out there proving that, more often than not, your mindset is the primary barrier preventing you from writing your story.
Family has always been a core value of mine, but I never imagined one of my children would find their voice through authorship the same way I have.
I want to share a Q&A with the Sunshine Coast’s youngest author so you, too, can be inspired to share your story.
WHEN DID YOU FIRST START CREATING FICTION STORIES?
I loved making up stories at kindy, and one of my favourites was the story of the orange man and the grey man. After I wrote Sprout’s Idea when I was eight, my sister found the little paper book I made, and I realised that the grey man—who liked to steal the other characters’ colours—was the first time I came up with the idea of a character like Shade Man.
DID YOU EVER THINK YOU WOULD BE A PUBLISHED AUTHOR?
Not really. My guitar teacher hosted the Secret Oasis Festival in 2022 and wanted three generations of storytellers to share a message of hope. The older two generations were sharing life experiences, but I was only eight and didn’t have much of that. So I decided to make up a story based on trees because they were planting 1000 trees to
HOW MANY COPIES OF YOUR BOOKS HAVE YOU SOLD SO FAR?
I’ve sold 600 copies around Australia, New Zealand, the USA, the UK, and even Germany. It’s cool that children in so many countries know Sprout.
WHAT DO YOU HOPE SUPER SPROUT WILL DO FOR THOSE WHO READ IT?
I hope anyone who reads it will realise that we all have special and unique things about us. It isn’t good to compare your special talents to others, so the best thing to do is remember that being yourself is your greatest superpower. I wrote this book for anyone who thought they weren’t good at anything or didn’t think they were good enough because everyone is
ARE THERE MORE SPROUT BOOKS TO COME?
Hopefully, yes, I am just waiting for the next idea.
WHAT DO YOU SAY TO OTHERS WHO WANT TO WRITE AND PUBLISH A BOOK?
I have proved that you don’t have to wait until you are older to do what you want to do. Have fun with it and keep pushing because getting the right words might take a while. It took me eight drafts for my first book and six for my second one, so I’m improving. Practice always makes you better at things.
HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE ENDORSED BY SOME BIG NAMES IN THE LITERARY WORLD?
Honestly, I didn’t think that we could pull it off. I love Andy Griffiths, who endorsed Sprout’s Idea, and Jackie French is really cool. We are supporting Jackie’s Wombat Foundation with a donation from every copy of Super Sprout. My illustrator Cara even put some wombats in the book.
WHAT SORT OF ADVENTURES HAVE YOU HAD AS AN AUTHOR SO FAR?
I’ve done some pretty cool things, like being the youngest-ever author to feature at the Whitsunday Voices Youth Literary Festival earlier this year. I also read Sprout’s Idea as a bedtime story to a plane full of passengers flying from Maroochydore to Darwin as a special maiden flight event for Bonza Airlines. I have visited many schools, kindys, and daycares to read my books and share messages of kindness, teamwork, positivity, and belief in oneself. I love seeing people enjoying my books.
Sprout’s Idea and Super Sprout are available from www.lincolnrawlins.com
