My name is Jo Hart and I am an aspiring author living in Australia. I have always had a great passion for the written word and started this blog as a way to share my passion with others.
My Blog
My main aim for this blog is to share writing tips I have learned, links to helpful writing sites and my own writing journey with other writers. I have found the writing community to be a friendly and supportive community and I hope my blog can help and inspire other writers as much as others have helped and inspired me.
My editions of ‘Helpful Writing Sites and Blog Posts’ provide links to the most helpful sites I come across and are compiled into a master list with categories on everything from character development to word count to editing to querying. Everything a writer needs to know! You can find the masterlist of helpful writing sites and blog posts in the navigation bar at the top of my blog.
My Writing
My favourite genres to write are fantasy and mystery, though I like to dabble in a variety of genres. I love writing children’s stories (picture books through to young adult), though I also write short stories for an older readership.
I have stories published in various anthologies and online. You can find out more about them here:
Published Works
FREE to read stories
Behind the Pen
I live in the peace and quiet of a small country town with my four young children. I love the country atmosphere and being able to sit outside with nature and my thoughts.
I graduated university with a Bachelor of Education and I taught students at primary school level for a number of years, though at the moment I am on a break from teaching to focus on my family and my writing. I also completed a major in Writing and electives in Language and Literacy and Indigenous Literature.
Facebook Page:
Twitter:
You can e-mail me at:
thegracefuldoe (at) hotmail (dot) com
Awards
Honourable Mention (for a fun, well-written animal entry) Susanna Hill’s 2015 Annual Holiday Writing Contest
Jungle Bell Rock
Finalist Susanna Hill’s 2012 Annual Holiday Writing Contest
Dashing Through the School
Finalist 2013 Australian Literature Review Short Story Competition ‘Mystery’
Murder at Beaumont Manor
2nd Place 2011 CYA Conference Competition (preschool category)
Monster Sister
Finalist 2011 Australian Literature Review Short Story Competition ‘Troubled Family Relationship’
The Family Waldorf
3rd Place 2010 Smories International Short Story Competition
Can You Jump Like a Kangaroo?
Guest Posts
‘How to Write More – Tips and Tricks for a Quick First Draft’ – guest post on the Chapter Book Challenge blog
‘Tuesday 12 x 12: Jo Hart’ – guest post on Julie Hedlund’s blog
‘What Harry Potter has Taught Me About Writing’ – guest post on Harry Potter for Writers
Articles
‘Top 10 Ways to Give Children a Head Start (Without Pressuring Them)’ – lifeinfotainment.com
Interviews
Interview on Aussie Speculative Fiction
Interview on Emily Moreton’s blog
Interview on the Chester Lewis site
Interview on Fleur McDonald’s blog
Interview on The Australian Literature Review
NiFtY interview on Beth Hull’s blog
Jo Hart - Author 
Love the blog! Now please tell me what in the world a chook is.
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Thanks Jennifer! A chook is a chicken/hen.
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i write fantasy as well. i’ll add you to my blog list.
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Nice to meet a fellow fantasy writer. Thanks for adding me to your list 🙂
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Hi Jo, thanks for following me on Twitter! And congratulations on your CYA success! Fantastic! One of my colleagues here in Tassie entered and won the illustration section so it’s all very exciting. Keep up the good work with your short stories! Cheers, Penny.
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Hi Penny, no problem! And thank you so much! How very exciting for your colleague, it’s a great competition. I have a couple more short stories set to be published in the near future, so stay tuned. Thanks for dropping by! 🙂
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I’ve nominated you for the Versatile Blogger Award! Enjoy! http://valerierlawson.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=440&action=edit&message=6&postpost=v2
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Thank you, Valerie!
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you’re so welcome. i think i made a mistake on the link. (i was still in the edit page and didn’t realize it.) try this one: http://valerierlawson.wordpress.com/2012/05/10/walking-on-sunshine-and-ive-got-versatility-the-blog-awards/
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Hi Jo – I am an Australian living in New Zealand. I am doing my final school year’s English research on your text – The Family Waldorf. Could you please help me?
-When and where is the society set?
-How does the expectations of wider society influence the -relationships between the family?
-Why does the family behave this way (so competitive with each other).
It would mean so much to me (and my grade!) if you could aid me.
Thankyou,
Maddison James
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Hi Maddison. These are great questions. I replied to your message through Facebook with my answers. I hope they help and your assignment goes well.
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Your blog is so interesting and easy to browse! I’m an aspiring writer too–I’ve already found lots of helpful things on your blog. I’m definitely going to pass it along!
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So glad you’ve found it helpful. Good luck with your writing!
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Hi Jo! It’s nice to meet you here. Like you I took a seven year leave from teaching when my children were small. It was the most rewarding time of my life and I would never trade it for anything. Enjoy your time with your kids and I hope to hear more about your writing experiences!
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Thanks for dropping by, Juliana. I’m definitely enjoying my time with my kids. I’m looking at going back teaching as a substitute teacher this year as my two eldest will be at school, leaving just one still at home (I’ll be sharing home duties with hubby, as he works from home).
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