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About Craig Wilkes
I was born in Western Australia and went to Attadale Primary School, then Melville Senior High School.
I grew up with two brothers (and a cat named Tiger), so there was plenty of sport and competitive spirit in the backyard!
Along the way, it became clear I was crafting a career in education and leadership as my journey included:
· YMCA youth leader
· Teacher
· Junior sports coach
· Senior sports coach
· Lecturer
· Department manager (TAFE / Further Education)
· Management consultant (Australia & United Kingdom)
· Leadership specialist / coach
· Author!
Even though I have several leadership books in draft mode, my true goal was to complete a children’s novel.
People describe me as fun, energetic, sociable, creative and dedicated; and it’s these qualities that were the driving force to creating and completing The Sky House.
I was far from a star at school or had any dream to write a book or be an author, but once I got going, I really enjoyed the writing process.
A final bit about me; I have four children and two grandchildren. I enjoy running (completing several City to Surf runs), playing the guitar, going to the beach, and skateboarding with my grandchildren … yes, skateboarding!
Stay young – love life – keep smiling!
The Sky House
This is my first children's novel and is to be published 30 January 2026, so I thought I'd offer some context and history.
A lot of people have asked, “How long did it take you to write The Sky House?” Now, I know “Two to three years” may not sound like the best reply, but that’s how long it took for the story to truly evolve and come to light.
The Back Story
It’s always been a long-term goal to get my story down on paper, but I also knew it would take some serious time and effort to turn it into a book (not just a few sessions on the computer, more like months and months of thinking and writing).
But I’m glad I did because once I got going, the concepts, my imagination and flare for writing kept flowing with each character, storyline and chapter.
And before long, I was mailing the manuscript to book publishers!
The inspiration for the book came about from a set of ideas I’ve had for years and always thought they could form the basis of a good story. (If truth be known, when growing up I would often tease my younger brother about getting off an escalator! When you read the book, you’ll know what I’m talking about).
Throughout the years, I’d often tell people about my idea which would receive replies of, “Go on, write it, it sounds great!” A good friend also said, “Don’t leave it too late.” That comment really got me thinking and it was then that I thought, ‘Right, I’m going to do this!’
The story started out as ‘Escalator Ella’ but I soon realised that there was so much more to write about; where does she go, how long for, what’s down there, does she come back, when does she come back, how does she come back, does she go there again, do other people go with her, how do I involve the other characters, how does the story end?
Everything was a blank page; I didn’t have any pre-thoughts or direction - but I guess that was the best part; being creative (and focused) to continually progress the story.
I did this unintentionally through my running. In the silence of clocking up the miles, my mind would often wander into ideas of what’s next, how does it happen, does it sound intriguing and engaging, what’s the connection and what might it lead to?
Surprisingly, and pleasingly, my original story that started out as a few pages, developed into a novel with twenty-one chapters!
I hope you enjoy reading The Sky House – I had so much fun writing it.
Share With Us
I had so much fun writing The Sky House, but now it’s time to hear from you.
Please email and tell me what you thought of the book, and remember to write about your favourite part.
Click on share@craigwilkes.com to send an email.
Oh, one more thing … please give The Sky House a star rating and a review: click here.
Competition Time
The wonderful Mr Motso would love to hear from you!
So, here’s how the competition works.
Send a photo of your pet (dog, cat, turtle...) with The Sky House book in the photo. Be as creative as you like.
We’ll make a photo board of everyone’s entry and at the end of each month, we will announce a winner. Starts March 2026.