Sometimes in life, all you need is a bit of inspiration and kindly encouragement to give you the confidence to follow your dreams.

So it was for well-known children’s and teen fiction author Deborah Abela after a gentle observation from a teacher at school led to her fulfilling what seemed the most unlikely of vocations in 1970s Australia.

Now offering the same message to a group of Year Seven Canobolas High students, she was in the Colour City as part of an 'Author Tour our School' initiative to encourage a love of literature in our local youth and children.

“I was scribbling a story at school when Miss Gray looked over my shoulder and said, ‘You’ve got great imagination, you should think about being a writer’,” Deborah told the students.

“For a kid from a migrant background in Sydney’s western suburbs, that seemed the most impossible idea,” she added.

Utilising an imagination that cheered her on to attempt a leap from her parent’s garage roof to the family pool as a 10-year-old (she missed), Deborah turned that talent into a vocation that has produced a number of works in a variety of genres.

“I’ve written 30 books from picture works to those for high school readers, and the biggest thing about reading is the empathy that it teaches,” Deborah told Orange City Life.

“It’s knowing you’re not alone, offering you a perspective of the world, a book deals with the whole gamut of life; it’s also about problem-solving and also helps with metal health,” she believes.

The two Canobolas High events were part of an Orange branch of Central West Libraries initiative designed to inspire a generation bombarded with social media, iPhone, and myriad other online distractions, about the wonders of the printed word; a message just as important now as ever.

“This event is a fantastic example of our public schools working together as a community of schools to create inspiring learning opportunities beyond the classroom, tailored to student interests and aspirations,” an Education Department spokesperson said.

Organising and funding the events was down to Canobolas High Librarian, Susan Schneider with the aim of inspiring excellence as part of a drive to offer talented and gifted students greater opportunities in the state school system.

“It was Susan whose initiative and organisation helped bring this opportunity to life for our students; the broader story here is about public education creating meaningful, high-quality opportunities for regional students, ensuring geography doesn’t limit access to inspiring experiences,” the spokesperson said.

"Through the initiative and grant funding secured, students from both primary and high school settings have been able to connect directly with a published author, build their love of literature, creativity and storytelling and see future possibilities for themselves,” they added.

Other local schools that Deborah talked at include Bletchington, Bowen, Glenroi Heights, and Orange East, that are all in the Canobolas draw district.

“This is an event sponsored by Australia Reads as part on an ‘Australia Lit Up’ series; I was, before this, in a number of events at Broken Hill as well,” Deborah revealed.

“The reason why this is so important is to connect kids to authors... it’s great to hear from someone who is a writer, if maybe they want to be a writer themselves.”

For young people who may not come from a literary or scholarly background, she argues, this is sometimes the most important message they can get.

“I was myself the daughter of a migrant from the 1970s who was desperate to be an author, and it was only until I had a teacher who said it was possible, did I believe.

“I was just a normal kid who grew up in the suburbs; if I can do it, anyone can do it,” Deborah enthused.

Covering areas of writing including character development, plot outline, and inspiration during her session, Deborah told the pupils she’s glad she finally selected her first career choice.

“When I was kid, all I ever wanted to do was to be a writer or a mountain climber, but I was scared of heights,” Deborah said.

“So, I decided to become a writer,” she concluded.