FEATURE - Lincoln sprouts ideas

At just eight years old, in 2022, a young Sunshine Coast author conceptualised a children's picture book when he was asked to share a message of hope with people at the Secret Oasis Festival. We reflected with Lincoln on his author journey and the valuable insights and lessons he learned through publishing two books.

By Angela Reedman-Polinski

Lincoln Rawlins is a young author with two published books, a long list of magazine, television, and radio interviews, author panels, and a working knowledge of the book publication process.

Reading his initial story to a crowd of over 100 people was an unforgettable experience for Lincoln, and the audience loved his tale so much that they suggested that he turn it into a children's book.

Published in August 2022, Sprout's Idea is Lincoln’s first book and is a story of hope, teamwork and combating negatives with positivity and kindness.

“I enjoy writing, and I work on my books in a way that works for me. I explain it to mum, who takes notes, and I keep on going until it’s all out on paper. Then I tweak it and work with it until it is how I want it to be.

“Superhero themes interest me, and I love a good origin backstory, so I like to include and build on these themes in my story writing. I have learned that it is important to read the finished draft out loud to listen to the rhythm of the words. This is because children’s picture books are usually read out loud to a child, and they need to flow smoothly.

“It’s exciting to hear feedback from people buying my books at readings, book launches and the markets as I hear how they enjoy the book. I like the thought that little pieces of my work sit on bookcases all over the world, from grandparents reading in Scotland through to students in our local school library.”

Lincoln shared what it was like working with his book illustrator, Sydney-based Cara Ord, for the first time and seeing the colourful images in his books come to life on paper.“It was a really good feeling, and I couldn't wait to see what she came up with as the images came in each week. Cara asked me what ideas I had about how the characters could look, and I would create a general sketch from my head.

“She would send a draft back while I was at school, and I’d rush home to see what had arrived that day. The result was always five hundred thousand times better than I could have imagined!

“Having Andy Griffiths and Jackie French support my books as authors was excellent. I also reached out to Chris Hemsworth to endorse the book, given his status as a real-life Aussie on-screen superhero, but he was busy promoting his latest movie at the time. Maybe for the next book!”

Book two, Super Sprout, launched with a superhero theme on Sept 14, 2024, at AmazeWorld on the Sunshine Coast. He chose the theme to align with the book’s storyline. In this follow-up book, Sprout looks at the amazing things his forest friends can do, and wonders what it would be like to have a superpower of his own. 

“With the second book, I knew that I wanted a superhero theme, but found it challenging to narrow down to which superpowers I wanted for the character. I also had to consider which superpowers would work well for Cara to illustrate and find ones that could go wrong so Sprout could explore a few to find the right one.”

Being a young author has opened many new doors for Lincoln and provided opportunities that he hadn’t imagined before. 

“I have visited kindies, schools, and daycare centres to read my books to children, spoken on stage at book launches and author panels, and was the first person ever to feature in a story corner to read both of my books at the 2024 Whitsunday Voices Youth Literature event.

“There was a fun marketing opportunity in collaboration with Bonza Airlines, where I read my book as a bedtime story to passengers travelling on the red-eye flight to Darwin. I have also been lucky to meet with Andy Griffiths, Kate Ceberano, and Shaun Micallef, as well as other local authors on the Sunshine Coast.

“I love the book launches and meeting people at the market stalls. That’s my favourite part, and I am growing used to people being surprised when they hear it’s me who wrote the books. I am young, but I am proof that if you try your best and go for it, you can do it.

“I have been surprised at how many people like buying my books at launches and the market stalls, but mum says it’s hard to say no to this face. It’s one of my superpowers. Mum and I compete over who can sell the most, and so far, I’m winning. I sold 21 in one day!”

So is there a third book on the horizon from young Lincoln, and what can we expect to read in the next creation?

“There may be a third Sprout book coming in the future. I am also thinking about doing a creative collaboration with my sister, Lilly. I’ll let you know when we’re ready to launch the next project!”

Sprout’s Idea and Super Sprout are available from lincolnrawlins.com