This is Heidi Walkinshaw’s inspiring story on how she reinvented her life, transitioning away from a career that no longer served her to become a picture book author and copywriter. You can listen to the episode below, on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or add the podcast RSS feed manually to your favourite
We already know that cats rule the internet, but AWC graduate Carla Francis is making sure they rule our bookshelves, too! After the successful release of her debut memoir, The Cat With Three Passports, Carla has now published The Zen of Cat, and a follow-up is in the works, as
Jo Dabrowski scored not one, not two, but THREE book deals. She has published two picture books: Higher! and Have Your Seen My Friend?. And has now released her middle grade novel Get Your Act Together, Doris Kozlowski. You can listen to the episode below, on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify,
When community health worker Bronwyn Hall found out she was going to be published she was delighted – and terrified!
“Firstly, I felt a profound shock,” Bronwyn recalls. “It was a case of, ‘Really? I mean, have they thought it through?’ Thankfully, my anxiety faded and the happy came back when the editing started.”
Bronwyn’s edge-of-the-seat debut thriller Gone to Ground is out now with HarperCollins and it’s already getting rave reviews.
Sarah Rodgers was talking to a friend about a novel manuscript she’d started a few years previously but hadn’t managed to finish. Her friend suggested that now was the right time to get back to work on it. That night, Sarah enrolled in the Write Your Novel program at the Australian Writers’ Centre.
Kiralee Strong never imagined she would be a published author one day. But needing a creative outlet, she dived into the Writing Picture Books course with the Australian Writers’ Centre and quickly caught the writing bug. Kiralee’s debut picture book, Hugs Still Feel the Same, is soon to be published by EK Books.
Chenée Marrapodi on her journey to publication for her novel One Wrong Turn. You can listen to the episode below, on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or add the podcast RSS feed manually to your favourite podcast app. Links mentioned in this episode Buy So You Want to be a Writer –
Living on a farm and juggling her responsibilities as a busy mother, Fleur Ferris always wanted to write books. And since completing the five-week online course in Writing Children’s Novels at the Australian Writers’ Centre, Fleur has landed a book deal, scored an agent and become an award-winning published author, with her
Joanne Speirs turned to writing to help her through some mentally and emotionally tough times. A friend urged her to “just write it all down” and so Joanne dove into poetry and recollections, using words to help her process her emotions. Next, she turned to blogging and started taking courses at the Australian Writers’ Centre, including Romance Writing, and worked on her first novel.
Zewlan Moor on her first two picture books: Nothing Alike and The Bill Dup. You can listen to the episode below, on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or add the podcast RSS feed manually to your favourite podcast app. Links mentioned in this episode Buy So You Want to be a Writer
Veronica Lando on The Drowning Girls and what to expect from your first year as an author. The benefits of using a whiteboard and win Writing for Busy Readers by Todd Rogers and Jessica Lasky-Fink. You can listen to the episode below, on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or add the podcast
Alli was worried that she hadn’t written prose for over a decade, having been focused on screenplays. She decided to follow the novel writing path at the Australian Writers’ Centre, starting with Creative Writing Stage 1, then moving on to Novel Writing Essentials and capping it off with Write Your Novel.
“I wanted guidance, I wanted to learn and grow and be better so I could hone my craft and write a beautiful book to do justice to the story of my grandparents. The AWC had a range of courses, it was accessible and didn’t cost a fortune. I figured it was a good place to start.”
“I’m great at imagining things! I should also say that I’ve imagined winning an Oscar, but I’m yet to imagine what category it would be in,” Jo told us. “The part I struggle with is believing I’m a published author. I still feel like someone has made a mistake somewhere and I’m about to be found out.”
But it is definitely not a mistake! Since completing Writing Picture Books at the Australian Writers’ Centre, Jo has published two picture books, which she also illustrated, and her middle grade novel Get Your Act Together, Doris Kozlowski, is out now with Affirm Press.
“Writing news stories is very different to writing a children’s book!” Chenée told us. “I knew if I tried to find all of the information myself, I’d end up falling down the ‘Google rabbit hole’ and I’d waste even more time – yet another excuse to stop me from actually writing the book!”
Instead, she dove into the course Writing Children’s Novels and, as she says, hasn’t looked back. Chenée’s debut book, One Wrong Turn, is out now with Fremantle Press.
Veronica Lando grew up above a bookshop – so it was natural that she would dream of becoming a writer herself one day. She loved crime fiction, but was hesitant about how to start writing her own. After throwing herself into the world of writing, she can now say she is a published author, with the release of her crime thriller The Whispering.
Anna Spargo-Ryan is known for her beautiful way with words. Her novels The Paper House and The Gulf received critical acclaim, while her memoir A Kind Of Magic, released in October 2022, was shortlisted for the Nonfiction Book Award in the 2023 Queensland Literary Awards.
After the birth of her first child, Heidi Walkinshaw knew she wanted to try a new career, so she enrolled in a psychology degree. However, it didn’t quite scratch her creative itch, so she turned to the Australian Writers’ Centre.
“After procrastinating for a little while, I took the plunge and enrolled in the Writing Picture Books course with Cathie Tasker and suddenly all those notebooks of ideas that I had been scribbling in for years made sense,” Heidi told us.
Meet Fiona Lloyd, author of Being Jimmy Baxter. We also discuss what to consider when naming characters. And win The Escapades of Tribulation Johnson by Karen Brooks. You can listen to the episode below, on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or add the podcast RSS feed manually to your favourite podcast app.
Carolyn Swindell was working in a “high heels and business suit job” in corporate responsibility when she decided to enrol in her first AWC course.
“The biggest thing about the courses is the permission you give yourself to be a writer by investing in yourself,” Carolyn told us. “I had been shy about admitting this ambition, but going along and sitting with other aspiring writers and learning the craft and the business was such a boost to my motivation and my skill level.”
Carolyn put that motivation and skill to good use, with her debut novel, We Only Want What’s Best, out now with Affirm Press.
Meet Megan White, author of The Anatomy of Songs. Finding inspiration and the importance of writing great openings. Also win The Little French Village of Book Lovers by Nina George. You can listen to the episode below, on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or add the podcast RSS feed manually to your favourite
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