PHOTO: Jonathan Macpherson smiling warmly while seated at his writing desk, surrounded by books and notes from his crime thrillers and children’s series.
Insightful Stories Across Genres And Ages
Jonathan Macpherson discusses his dual career writing children’s adventures and crime thrillers, sharing insights on character development, ethical dilemmas, and the inspiration behind Rotto! and the Betts & Walker series.
Jonathan Macpherson is an author whose work moves effortlessly between the joyous and the intense, the whimsical and the darkly suspenseful. From the sun-drenched, mischievous antics of Rotto! to the gripping tension of Outback Creed, his stories carry a rare versatility, capturing both the imagination of children and the adrenaline of adult thriller enthusiasts. There is a delicate precision in his storytelling, an ability to render landscapes, characters, and dilemmas with striking clarity and emotional resonance.
In his crime novels, Macpherson demonstrates a keen understanding of moral complexity. Characters like Mitch Walker inhabit worlds where ethical lines blur, and danger lurks just beyond the horizon. It is in this interplay of circumstance and choice, of survival and conscience, that his narratives gain their gripping momentum, leaving readers questioning not only the outcome of the story but the choices they might make themselves.
Yet, in his children’s fiction, the same care and insight emerge in a lighter, more playful guise. The quokkas of Rottnest Island are more than charming creatures—they are vessels for curiosity, adventure, and subtle learning. Through Clancy, Kylie, and their friends, young readers are invited to explore nature, empathy, and courage, all woven seamlessly into vibrant tales that celebrate wonder and discovery.
Across genres and audiences, Macpherson’s writing is defined by a dedication to story above all else. Whether shaping the suspense of a crime thriller or the delight of a children’s adventure, he brings authenticity, heart, and a perceptive eye to every page, crafting narratives that linger long after the final chapter.
A masterful storyteller blending suspenseful thrillers and heartwarming children’s adventures with vivid characters, rich settings, and captivating narratives across diverse genres.
In Outback Creed, the rugged Kimberley landscape becomes almost a character itself – how did your experiences in Australia inform your portrayal of setting and atmosphere?
The outback is often portrayed as unforgiving and deadly, and while that’s true, it’s also full of beauty. I was particularly focused on the Kimberley, in the northwest, which is incredibly colourful with landscapes that are breathtaking, towering cliffs and waterfalls, vast expanses of rich, red earth, where you could easily drive a couple of days or more without seeing another person. But things can change quickly – during the wet season, the sky could be bright blue, but a short time later there could be a torrential downpour. Locals have adjusted to this, but for the inexperienced traveller, like the characters in Outback Creed, this can be perilous. I wanted to capture that tension between beauty and danger, isolation and community.
The moral dilemmas at the heart of Brazen Violations challenge readers to empathise beyond black and white crime tropes – what inspired Mitch Walker’s ethically complex journey?
I’m intrigued by the notion of good people doing bad things, putting characters in dire, desperate situations where they feel compelled to do something they otherwise would never consider. When the stakes are high and the pressure is on, that’s intriguing to me. I usually plot my stories, but Mitch’s story seemed to unfold as I was writing it. I felt like I was experiencing it with him. He’s a good-natured young man with no history of crime, but when his nephew’s life is on the line, he discovers a side of himself he never knew existed. I wanted readers to question what they would do in his position, and whether doing the wrong thing for the right reason could ever be justified.
“In Outback Creed, the Kimberley landscape itself becomes almost a character, full of beauty and danger.” – Jonathan Macpherson
Prior Violations serves as a prequel novella – how did revisiting Mitch’s backstory alter your perspective on his character and the wider Betts & Walker arc?
Mitch’s backstory, and almost the entire prequel novella, actually took shape while I was writing Brazen Violations, but I ended up cutting it from the first book. I was trained in scriptwriting, where cutting backstory is one of the golden rules: you enter the story, and every scene, as late as possible. That mindset heavily influenced how I edited Brazen Violations. Of course, novels aren’t as restricted, but since Brazen Violations was my first novel, I wrote and cut scenes with that discipline in mind. The prequel novella, Prior Violations, gave me the chance to flesh out characters and backstory more fully, but I already knew Mitch and the events that would unfold very well. What surprised me was how writing the prequel allowed me to develop some of the other characters in unexpected ways, particularly Detective Betts and some of the criminals Mitch encounters, adding layers that ripple through the rest of the Betts & Walker arc.
Your children’s Rotto! series celebrates quokkas and Rottnest Island – what drew you to these charming marsupials, and how did you balance adventure with educational themes?
A trip to Rottnest Island (Rotto to locals) with our young children was the inspiration. My children were really taken with the quokkas and they asked me if there were any stories they could read about quokkas. We couldn’t find any fictional adventure books, so I decided to write one myself. My kids were only 6 and 8 at the time, but they loved adventure stories – Roald Dahl’s The BFG, Harry Potter, Narnia and so on, so I figured I had to make it fairly adventurous if I was going to keep their attention. Regarding the educational side, I tried to be subtle in that regard, or at least make the educational part intrinsic to the story, the wildlife preservation side of things.
In Kylie and the Quokkas…, friendship and discovery are central – what personal experiences influenced your portrayal of young characters engaging with Australian wildlife?
Watching my kids observing the quokkas was the main influence. Quokkas are often called the world’s friendliest or happiest animals, and if you go to Rotto, you’ll see why. The island was separated from the mainland about ten thousand years ago, so their first regular contact with people is relatively recent, so they haven’t been conditioned to fear people. You can get pretty close to them, a couple of feet, and they won’t mind. The shape of their mouths makes them look as if they are smiling, which adds to their charm. Seeing my children’s excitement and curiosity while watching these friendly mammals made me want to capture that sense of wonder and connection.
“Mitch Walker’s journey explores what good people do in desperate, ethical dilemmas.” – Jonathan Macpherson
The Quokkas’ Christmas Quest blends seasonal festivity with environmental messages – how did you approach writing a Christmas tale that also educates on wildlife conservation?
To be honest, there isn’t a strong environmental message in The Quokkas’ Christmas Quest. The story’s focus is more on persistence and doing the right thing, especially when it’s difficult, and I tried to weave those values naturally into a Christmas plot. I think those themes are at the heart of many stories, including mine. While the quokkas and the setting still bring a sense of nature and place, this book was really about capturing the spirit of Christmas through courage, kindness, and helping others, even when it requires sacrifice.
Your work spans crime thrillers and children’s fiction – how do you navigate shifting between dark adult themes and whimsical storytelling for younger audiences?
For me, the key is staying focused on one or the other. If I’m writing a children’s book, I’ll stay with that story until it’s complete so I can fully immerse myself in its world. I know some writers can switch between genres on the same day, and perhaps I should try that, but so far, I’ve found that living inside the world of the story helps me capture the right tone, whether it’s a dark crime thriller or a whimsical children’s adventure. Once the first draft is done, I allow myself to work on other stories, often in different genres. Immersing myself in a new world helps me let go of the previous one for a while, so when I return to it for edits, I can see it with fresh eyes—and that’s invaluable for improving the work.
What key piece of advice would you most emphasise to aspiring authors seeking to write across such different genres and age groups?
I’m reluctant to give advice to writers, because it’s such a personal thing. I can only speak about what works for me which, as I mentioned, is focusing on one story at a time. Of course there are things to know about each genre and age group, and being familiar with popular fiction in those genres and age groups is very important. Perhaps the most important thing is to absolutely love the genre you’re writing, and then to love the story you’re writing. If you are writing for children, it helps to get feedback from your target audience. My children are always my first readers (for my children’s fiction), and getting their reactions and responses is vital. They are brilliant; they know instantly whether something is working and they’ve helped me countless times. I have also sent advance copies to schools for feedback, and teachers are usually happy to help. By that stage, I’m pretty happy with the work, but getting the feedback from students has been very reassuring before a launch. If you’re not sure of something, say a title, then getting the teacher to conduct a poll with say three potential titles might help. The Quokkas’ Christmas Quest was decided by a poll with two classes of eight year olds. It also helped to foster interest in the rest of the series, so that was a bonus.
“Writing Prior Violations allowed me to deepen characters and the wider Betts & Walker arc.” – Jonathan Macpherson
There is one thing I might say, not so much as advice, but more of a comment. There’s an old writer’s adage, “Kill Your Darlings.” I’m mostly all for that; there are things that must be cut as they don’t drive the narrative or develop the character, and may risk seeming like indulgences that have been wedged in. But I think it’s okay to save your darlings once in a while, so long as you can adapt them to match the plot and theme of the story. For me, those darlings are sometimes the original inspiration for a story. The story may take a direction that makes that idea, that darling, seem redundant, but I’ve found that if I really love it, and if it was a big part of the initial concept, I can keep it – so long as I can make it work, tie it in thematically. I’ve heard some great writers say that theme is something they discover after the first or second draft. Well, maybe that theme comes from one of your initial ‘darlings’ and you need to explore it. It may need to be modified, but you might find you can keep the essence of that darling after all.
