So Nicole Hayes is going gangbusters right now – with her YA fiction novels being so well received right across Australia and beyond. But her latest book, From the Outer: Footy like you’ve never heard it, is a collection of stories written by a range of different people about the
Katrina Nannestad is the author of children’s fiction book Olive of Groves – shortlisted for the 2016 Indie Awards. We contacted her to find out more, and Katrina was only too happy to answer a few questions. So, Katrina, for those who haven’t read Olive of Groves yet, can you
Back in 1987, Guns N’ Roses wrote “Take me down to the Paradise City, where the grass is green and the girls are pretty.” Nearly 30 years later, author CJ Duggan writes of another Paradise City – in coastal Australia – where the grass may not be quite so green,
We’re here today with Alison Goodman – New York Bestselling author of the fantasy duology EON and EONA. Her latest novel is The Dark Days Club – book one of a new trilogy, which has been described as “a delicious collision of Regency romance and dark fantasy”. So Alison, how
Every successful author had a first novel – the one that started it all and paved the way for what followed. Fortunes may shift up and down, but you are a first-time novelist just once. And like many other “first times”, there’s often a story to be told. Jackie French
In a recent episode of our top-rating podcast So you want to be a writer, Allison Tait chatted with popular Young Adult (YA) writer Ellie Marney. (And when we say popular, we’re talking about her novel, Every Breath, being one of only two Australian novels on the 2015 list of most
Ahhhh summer – the sound of crashing waves, the gentle evening chirp of the cicadas, the sizzle of the BBQ, the tapping of the keyboard… Wait, what? That’s right. Summer is actually a GREAT time to learn a new writing skill, especially considering it coincides (here in the Southern Hemisphere
If you have work commitments that make it difficult to find the time to write, take heart: not only have some of the world’s most famous authors managed to balance writing books with a day job, but sometimes those day jobs have actually inspired their books. That’s the message from
This post is written by Cathie Tasker, expert picture book editor and presenter of the course Writing Picture Books at the Australian Writers’ Centre. The Children’s Book Council of Australia is a voluntary-run, non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting books, authors and illustrators. Their mission is “to engage the community with literature for young
In late 2015, Allison Tait caught up with picture book author Danny Parker for a chat as part of our So you want to be a writer podcast. Danny and his family have been in Australia since 2004 – arriving from the UK on something of an adventure and never
This post is written by Cathie Tasker, expert picture book editor and presenter of the course Writing Picture Books at the Australian Writers’ Centre. If a picture book is 500 words or fewer, how is it similar to writing a chapter book of about 10,000, 15,000 or so words? What
Nicole Hayes is an author, speaker and writing teacher based in Melbourne. She has an MA in Creative Writing and runs writing workshops at different locations in and around Melbourne. Nicole’s first novel, The Whole of My World, was shortlisted in the 2014 Young Australian Best Book Awards (YABBA) and
This post is by Cathie Tasker, fiction editor and expert in children’s and picture books. When you’re creating your characters in your picture books, what do you need to consider? A lot of things about creating a character are obvious — they have names, they are a certain age, they
This post is by Cathie Tasker, fiction editor and expert in children’s and picture books. The Hungry Caterpillar. Hairy Maclary. The Gruffalo. All popular picture books. Not only do they mesmerise generations of young readers, they also inspire many adults to pen their own picture book. But it’s important to
Most aspiring authors looking to publish their manuscript traditionally can envisage a finish line with a publisher and a contract. But the path to that line is often arduous, which is where agents can help. After more than 25 years in the book industry, Melbourne-based Jacinta Di Mase started her
We love our presenters here at the Australian Writers’ Centre – all of them are either writers or industry experts, meaning you’re getting schooled by people who don’t just talk about the ‘biz’ – they’re out there in it. To illustrate this point, here are 10 of our presenters (that’s
Andy Griffiths is one of Australia’s most popular children’s authors, best known for the Treehouse series, the JUST! books, and the delightfully titled The Day My Bum Went Psycho. The 65-Storey Treehouse hit shelves in August 2015, to the great excitement of children everywhere. And amid this furious launching frenzy,
When journalist Penny Harrison made the switch to writing feature stories, little did she know it would lead to the publication of her first picture book. “I had been working as a local newspaper journalist for 10 years and was just thinking about returning to work after my first baby,”
In episode 58 of our popular So you want to be a writer podcast, Valerie Khoo interviewed Pamela Hart – the name behind the book The Soldier’s Wife, released this year. She also goes by the name Pamela Freeman – author of nearly 30 books and director of the creative writing faculty
Earlier this year, Allison Tait spoke with the delightful Lindsey Kelk – author of contemporary women’s fiction novels. She has sold more than 1.5 million books thank you very much. (You can hear the full interview here on episode 63 of our So you want to be a writer top rating
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