Lyn Lysaught

Lyn Lysaught is married with 3 adult children and lives on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia.

She is a reading/language specialist, having taught ESL (English as a Second Language) in Primary schools for many years. Lyn’s career has included teaching in the UK, New Zealand and Australia. She is passionate about introducing all children to the joys of books and reading.

Lyn’s interests, other than writing, include yoga, reading, going to the beach, and travelling to as many overseas destinations as possible.

Lyn’s first children’s picture book ‘Just Like Maisie’ features Maisie, a clever little beagle with a mind of her own. Maisie joins her unsuspecting owners Mr and Mrs Harris on an exciting holiday to London, Paris and Rome. During the trip, Maisie needs to disguise herself in all kinds of imaginative ways to avoid detection. Can Maisie avoid being recognised and sent back home?

Talented illustrator Daniela Frongia has filled this book with bright, colourful illustrations and humorous situations that perfectly convey Maisie’s cheeky personality.

Maisie’s fun adventures continue in Lyn’s second book, ‘Play It Again Maisie’.

Maisie travels the world as a famous concert pianist, performing at the Sydney Opera House, the Vienna State Opera and Carnegie Hall. Can Maisie really play the piano or is she tricking her owners Mr and Mrs Harris once again? Will the concert audience discover her secret or will she continue to outsmart them?

Illustrator Daniela Frongia once again has created bold, expressive illustrations filled with colour and humour.

'Maisie's Moon Mission' is Lyn's third book in the series.

Maisie dreams of travelling to the moon. Much to the surprise of Mr and Mrs Harris, Maisie becomes an astronaut. However, the exciting but dangerous moon mission doesn't go as planned after Maisie meets some scary moon monsters. Will Maisie's moon mission be a success or a failure?

Kids will love looking for the tiny, purple moon monster hidden on every page.

Books in the Maisie series are suitable for 3 to 6 year olds.

Lyn has also published a mystery/detective junior novel. "The Case of the Phantom Thief’ is the first book in the new ‘Inspector Maisie, Super Sleuth’ series.

This light-hearted, imaginative story features Inspector Maisie, a famous beagle detective, and Harris, her well-meaning but unhelpful assistant. Together they attempt to solve a series of baffling robberies at 8 Tulip Lane.

Who is the thief? What is the motive? Are any of the 6 suspects guilty? So many questions… so few answers…

Can Inspector Maisie and Harris solve this mystery, while being constantly hindered by the incompetent Dogsville Police Department?

Daniela Frongia has created a cast of amusing characters to entertain the reader. Her humorous illustrations are scattered liberally throughout the text to assist with comprehension.

This book is a fun read suitable for 7 to 8 year olds.

‘Just Like Maisie’, ‘Play It Again Maisie’, 'Maisie's Moon Mission' and 'Inspector Maisie, Super Sleuth' are all available from www.lindyloubooks.com www.inhousebookstore.com.au and www.amazon.com.

Learn More About Lyn 

I have a lot of picture book drafts that haven’t gone anywhere, but that was part of my journey. I may go back to rework a couple but I’m more likely to move forward to something else.

I have begun to research ideas and characters for a middle grade novel that I will continue working on and write sometime in the future. That would be more challenging as I haven’t written for that age group yet.

My writing space looks cluttered but is actually quite organised … lots and lots of folders. The trick is finding the one I’m looking for!

Creativity is wonderful in all its forms. There is something supremely satisfying in realising that you have created something unique.

Once you understand this, you just need time, perseverance, determination and a lot of hard work.

Writing is not easy but the rewards are great!

My greatest success has been realising a dream that I never thought would come true. It has been so creatively satisfying and amazing to share Maisie’s adventures and Inspector Maisie’s super sleuthing with so many children since Just Like Maisie was published in 2016

What is your favourite book from your childhood or teenage years?

I really don’t plan much for the picture books. I get an idea for a story and then I write. I usually write the first draft in a few days but it’s a long way to the finish line!

I use a picture book template and sketch an illustration for each page. I am fairly specific with how I imagine each illustration and the end result is very much a collaborative effort with my illustrator. This is also when I do the online research, getting ideas and images for scenes and characters. Sometimes I make a small mock-up book. This gives me more of an idea of page turns, etc. and what the actual book would look like.

For the Inspector Maisie books, I plan a rough synopsis for each chapter before I begin writing. This way I know where the story is going. The plot is a lot more complicated and the books take a lot longer to write. I do a fair bit of research during the writing process.

The best part of publishing my books has been sharing them with enthusiastic kids. I’ve loved encouraging their creativity and doing my little bit to actively promote their love of reading.

Supportive family members have given me a push now and then, but honestly, my writing journey has been very much self-driven.

The love of writing comes from a place within and the determination to keep creating also comes from within ourselves and not from others. It is lovely to have support but the ability to forge ahead, no matter what, is what really counts.

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