Kyle Mewburn

Children's Writer

Zombie ponies of Fairweather Farm

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Free Lockdown Download!

I’ve been wondering how I might contribute something to help cure potential boredom during the covid-19 lockdown. In the end I realised only have my stories. So here’s a new one for middle grade readers which hasn’t been published yet. Download the PDF below.

Edgar Allan Poe meets Enid Blyton in this Gothic Famous Five-esque High Country adventure.

For twins Archie and Pippa (12), summer holidays are a time for adventure. Having grown up on the farm, they’re used to making their own fun, too. The last thing they need is to babysit city kids Nik (13) and Mia (11) who have, rather unexpectedly, come to stay.

When animals start turning up with skulls shattered and brains missing, their adventure takes a dark turn. The four must join forces to solve the mystery and keep the farm out of the clutches of the evil Howes.

Zombie ponies of Fairweather Farm

July 2014

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Time flies! I guess when I’ve got no new books coming out I sort of lose track of my website. In fact, until recently it looked like I wouldn’t have ANY books coming out this year for the first time since 2004. But at the last minute I got asked to do another Rosie the cow story for DairyNZ. So that was exciting. The book will be released in October, I think.

Dinosaur Rescue - Brazil

Brazilian edition

In the meantime I’ve been hard at work on my new Junior Fiction series called Dragon Knight. It’s all a bit TOP SECRET at the moment, because the first episode isn’t coming out until March next year, so I can’t give away too many details yet. But stay tuned! Hopefully all the Dinosaur Rescue fans will enjoy my new series as well.

Speaking of Dinosaur Rescue, today I received my copies of it in Brazilian! Very exciting. It’s now been published in 25 countries, including Israel, Slovenia and most of Asia. Still not available in the US or UK, I’m afraid. Weird.

In other exciting news I was recently in Wellington to talk to the kids who made enormous sculptures based on my stories. Talk about impressive! What a great job they all did. Click on this link to view some photos.

December 2011

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More exciting news! I’m off to the Leipzig Book Fair in March to kick-off NZ’s role as Country of Honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair later this year. There’s nine writers going altogether, but I’m the only children’s writer. I feel very honouored and priveleged to be chosen. I can’t wait!!

So have you heard about the BLOOM festival yet? Me and a whole bunch of talented people from writers to circus performers to musicians and rugby stars will be in Matakana for the weekend of January 20-22. Should be a fabulous weekend! I’ll be telling a few stories,reading some books and running a workshop or two. What a great way (and a fantastic place) to spend a long, hot (hopefully) summer’s day? If you want to know more, look at the festival’s Facebook page – Bloom Festival. See you there!

WOW! My new-look website is finally up and running. What do you think? It was designed by Year 13 student Charlotte Boyce as part of a web design project at Columba College in Dunedin. I think it looks pretty cool. So a round of rapturous applause for Charlotte!! If you have any feedback or thoughts, let me know and you could win your choice of my titles. Any title … as long as I’ve still got a copy lying around. So that’s my excuse for the total absence of new between May and now.

A lot has happened in the meantime, I must say. It’s been a busy year.

For example  – I’ve had three new picture books, a junior novel and the first four episodes of my exciting new Dinosaur Rescue series released. I also had two launches – one at the Dunedin College of Education for Hester and Lester and DO NOT PUSH,  and another local launch at the Alexandra library for Moon Cow.

I’ve also just finished an on-line picture book project for Telecom, with the amazingly talented Donovan Bixley doing fabulous illustrations. The book, titled – The story of Bo and the circus that wasn’t – will be released in February, with all proceeds going to the Telecom Foundation.

January 2011

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I’m moving to Dunedin! (For six months, anyway.) From tomorrow I’m officially the Children’s Writer in Residence at the University of Otago. I’m very excited, and honoured to have been chosen. During the Residency I’ll be working on my first ever Young Adult novel. The idea’s been bubbling away for years, now, so it’s wonderful to finally have the time to work on it. I was a bit worried if I didn’t write it soon, my head would explode.