Category: Alumni/Student success stories

Alumni/Student success stories
Australian Writers' Centre Team

How Felicity McVay reignited her creative passion to become a published picture book author

Sitting in darkness feeding her newborn daughter each night, Felicity McVay began to dream up the character of a boy who loves to burp. After taking two courses at the Australian Writers’ Centre – Writing Picture Books and Creative Writing Stage 1 – Felicity is now a published author, with her picture book The Boy Who Burped released by New Holland Publishers. “I feel a great thrill when I tell people that I’m a writer,” Felicity says. “The courses at AWC gave me a sense of legitimacy.”

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Alumni/Student success stories
Australian Writers' Centre Team

Penelope Janu: Meet the lawyer who became a bestselling romance novelist

After more than 20 years as a solicitor and legal academic, Penelope Janu thought it was high time she finally followed her creative impulses. She completed a short course at the Australian Writers’ Centre (AWC), which gave her the confidence to pursue a creative writing degree – and led to her first novel, In at the Deep End, being accepted for publication. She has since gone on to publish several more popular romance novels.

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Alumni/Student success stories
Australian Writers' Centre Team

AWC alumnae shortlisted for the 2020 Davitt Awards for best crime books

AWC alumnae shortlisted for the 2020 Davitt Awards for best crime books Congratulations to AWC alumnae Astrid Scholte and Petronella McGovern who have been shortlisted for the Davitt Awards 2020! Astrid Scholte made the list with her debut YA novel Four Dead Queens and Petronella McGovern with her debut thriller

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Alumni/Student success stories
Australian Writers' Centre Team

AWC presenter and alumnae longlisted for the 2020 Davitt Awards 2020

Sisters in Crime recently announced their 20th Davitt Awards and we’re thrilled that so many familiar names are featured on the long list! Our amazing alumnae Sarah Bailey (Where the Dead Go, Allen & Unwin), Sandie Docker (The Cottage at Rosella Cove, Penguin Random House Australia) and Petronella McGovern (Six

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Alumni/Student success stories
Australian Writers' Centre Team

Australian Writers’ Centre alumnae shortlisted for 2020 Text Prize

The shortlist for the 2020 Text Prize has been announced – and we’re delighted to see two Australian Writers’ Centre alumnae among them!  Miranda Luby, who completed our How to Write for Children and Young Adults course, and Lauren Draper, who has taken a creative writing course, have both been

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Alumni/Student success stories
Australian Writers' Centre Team

Victoria Mackinlay achieves her childhood dream to become a published author

When she was a child, Victoria Mackinlay assumed she would grow up to be an author. And now, with the release of her picture book Ribbit Rabbit Robot and more on the way, Victoria’s dream has come true. To top it off, Victoria has won the State Library of NSW Award for Emerging Children’s Author.

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Alumni/Student success stories
Australian Writers' Centre Team

Write Your Novel. And again. And again…

There are few things more satisfying than completing a manuscript. And there are few things more challenging and isolating than the process of writing that manuscript! The act of writing a book is usually a lonely experience, immersing yourself deep in your story and your own mind. But you don’t

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Alumni/Student success stories
Australian Writers' Centre Team

An amazing year of published books by AWC alumni and presenters

Nothing makes us prouder here at the Australian Writers’ Centre than seeing writers reach their publishing dreams. Over the years, our students have published hundreds of books, and 2019 has been another amazing year of success. From short stories to novels, picture books to picturesque romances, non-fiction, historical fiction, contemporary

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Alumni/Student success stories
Australian Writers' Centre Team

Writing Picture Books in Perth

It was a hot weekend in November when we held our Writing Picture Books course in Perth, the last for 2019. Five students from across the city got together to spend two days learning about the craft of picture books with award-winning author Judith Rossell. In fact, one particularly eager

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Alumni/Student success stories
Australian Writers' Centre Team

AWC alumna Petronella McGovern longlisted for the Australian Indie Book Awards

Congratulations to AWC alumna Petronella McGovern for being longlisted for the Australian Indie Book Awards in the debut fiction category with her novel, Six Minutes. You can read more about Petronella’s journey to publication here.  According to the media release: Established in 2008, what makes the Indie Book Awards unique

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Alumni/Student success stories
Australian Writers' Centre Team

Stef Gemmill’s debut picture book finds a home

Stef Gemmill used the few minutes she had each morning before her family woke up to work on her creative writing. With a background in music journalism, Stef was no slouch at writing, but knew that she needed guidance to really hone her picture book manuscripts. After signing up for the Australian Writers’ Centre’s Writing Picture Books course, Stef got the valuable feedback she was looking for. Her first picture book, A Home for Luna, has now been published by New Frontier Publishing and it won the 2020 International Rubery Book Award (children’s category).

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Alumni/Student success stories
Australian Writers' Centre Team

Your path to publication at the Australian Writers’ Centre

Remember that feeling of staying up late past your bedtime curled under the covers with your favourite book? Have you been dreaming since then of writing your own novel? Would you love to one day see your name on a book cover at your local bookstore? Many people long to

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Alumni/Student success stories
Australian Writers' Centre Team

Therese Spruhan makes a splash with debut book ‘The Memory Pool’

Therese Spruhan loves swimming pools. After writing for her blog Swimming Pool Stories, she knew she wanted to create a book based on this theme. The result is The Memory Pool, a collection of 28 stories from a diverse range of Australians including Bryan Brown, Leah Purcell, Merrick Watts, Shane

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