R.A. Spratt is a best-selling author, television writer and podcast host. She is known for the Shockingly Good Stories, Friday Barnes, The Peski Kids and Nanny Piggins series of books.
R.A. Spratt has written for dozens of different television shows. In recent years she has specialized mainly in children’s animation, but she has also had extensive experience writing jokes, sketch comedy and political satire.
Her podcast ‘Bedtime Stories with R.A. Spratt’ was launched in February 2020 and has a huge following from around the world, with 2 million + downloads.
R.A. Spratt lives in Bowral, Australia with her husband and two daughters. She is currently obsessed with Cross Fit and—according to (her) Instagram—has been the Fittest Childrens Author on Earth two years in a row.
Katherine and RA Spratt discuss:
- TV writing (not as much talking to each other as you might think)
- Writing comedy and the balance between wacky and the everyday
- Judgemental narrators
- Pragmatic writing advice, including doing market research on what people/kids want to read
- The evolution/non-evolution of characters in a series
- Her approach to writing mysteries – i.e. simplicity on the surface and elaborate-ness underneath
- Her philosophy of writing reassuring stories with a beginning middle and end for kids
Writing advice: Be careful of giving your work to other people to read. Don’t show it to anyone!
Favourite debut book: Senior Moments by Angus FitzSimons
The First Time podcast 
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