Hello story lovers!
I’m Stef Gemmill and I write books with memorable characters
Keep reading for a ‘bit about me’ and why I love to write adventurous stories of hope and belonging with heart. I am also the Program Director of the Sketch and Scribe Festival for writers and illustrators of children’s literature, helping connect kidlit creators with publishers and experts.
I live and create my stories on the traditional lands of the Wadawurrung and Eastern Maar people and pay my respects to their past, present and emerging leaders.
A little different...
As a child growing up in small towns in NZ, I struggled to follow the crowd and was happy doing my ‘own thing'. When my family fell apart, I lived in a foster home where I tried to figure out where I belong in this wide universe. I'd lose myself in books and drawings - my imagination carrying me away to magical places, where animals talked and children ruled the world. I still ponder where I belong, which is reflected in my writing.
Oh - my first name is Stephanie (shortened to Stef). And I liked corn on the cob.
First publication
And here I am again, being different. At age ten, I wrote a play called Drag-On, about an isolated, feminist dragon on a quest to save the dragon race, discovering her nuclear-powered flame breath on the journey. She enlists Kermit the Frog and a hip-hop crew to save the world. The eighties were crazy times. Someone saw its potential as the play was performed at the Pumphouse Theatre in Auckland, New Zealand and published in an edition of the 1981 NZ School Journal.
Inspirational stories
My debut picture book, A Home for Luna, won the 2020 International Rubery Book Award for its unique story of a refugee cat finding family with a huddle of penguins. The story was inspired by my own experience of moving countries, living in a foster home. And adopting the perfect pussy cat, Luna.
Riding and research
As a child and teenager, I was horse crazy. I mostly rode farm horses - tough and tireless. More recently, I took up riding again as part of my research for The Ghost Horse of Snowy River. Here I am with stockhorse, Jimmy, riding up in the High Country of Victoria. Jimmy had a cheeky but fun personality and we had a lot of canters on our 3-day ride. That’s right, I camped overnight in the mountains with a horse. Best sleepover party ever!
Children's book author
Other books I’ve written and published include In My Dreams, a beautifully illustrated bedtime story about overcoming your nightmares and dreaming positively, Toy Mountain, an environmental story and This Drop of Water, a narrative non-fiction picture book about how hard water works to make it into our homes, out with CSIRO Publishing in October 2026.
I am also excited to release my first middle-grade novel The Ghost Horse of Snowy River in June 2026, out with Wombat Books.
