Julie Fison had been writing professionally her whole adult life, having worked as a journalist and published books for kids and young adults. But when she decided to write a novel for adults, she knew there was more she could learn. She turned to the Australian Writers’ Centre to hone her skills around plotting and characterisation.
Bestselling middle-grade author Nat Amoore, author of We Run Tomorrow. Cool writing resources and much more. And you could win Family of Liars by E Lockhart in our giveaway. You can listen to the episode below, on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or add the podcast RSS feed manually to your favourite podcast app.
Millie Lewis had an unexpected birthday treat when she received an ‘I’m interested’ email from publisher James Layton at Larrikin Books. While on maternity leave from her job as a paediatric psychologist, Millie had turned to writing to reclaim her pre-mummy identity, enrolling in courses at the Australian Writers’ Centre. And just a short time later, she had a positive response to her manuscript for Mr Price’s Pet Emporium.
Meet Astrid Scholte, author of League of Liars. And what is “front and back matter” anyway? Plus we have 3 copies of Booth by Karen Joy Fowler to giveaway!
“I knew it was worth taking the time to workshop it a bit and, serendipitously, an AWC Writing Picture Books course was starting the following week. I took the leap and signed up straight away,” Rebecca says.
That manuscript became Facing the Wave and it has now been published by Larrikin House.
“I was very excited to be published from my first pitch and I know that the things I learned through the AWC helped me be as prepared as possible.”
Congratulations to all the wonderful authors, illustrators and publishers who have made it onto the Children’s Book Council of Australia’s (CBCA) shortlisted books for 2022. We’re particularly chuffed for the talented graduates from our Writing Picture Books course – children’s authors Vikki Conley, Sandhya Parappukkaran and author/illustrator Freda Chiu –
“Enrolling on the course meant I had actually invested in myself and my dream,” Jeanette says. “While I was taking the course, I felt a strong sense of ‘this is what I should be doing’.”
Jeanette’s decision to invest in herself paid off and she can now call herself a published author. Her debut picture book Shadow and the Girl has been released by Red Paper Kite with illustrations by Demelsa Haughton.
What is a ‘comp title’ and why you need to know this. Meet Shankari Chandran, author of Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens. And we have 3 copies of Impossible by Sarah Lotz to give away.
The Australian Society of Authors (ASA) and HQ (a publishing division of HarperCollins) have recently revealed the shortlist for the 2022 ASA/HQ Commercial Fiction Prize for unpublished manuscripts. And we are happy-dancing our hearts out for the two talented writers and alumnae of the Australian Writers’ Centre that we spotted
What to do if you’re stuck writing your first line. Crime author Dinuka McKenzie on writing her Banjo Prize-winner ‘The Torrent’, and we have 3 copies of the novel to give away.
How you can build a lucrative career as a children’s author. Could a writing accountability buddy help you to achieve your goals? And meet Gary Nunn, author of ‘The Psychic Tests’. Plus, we have 3 copies of ‘The Trivia Night’ by Ali Lowe to giveaway.
Meet Al Campbell, author of ‘The Keepers’. Also: The unexpected benefits of writing. Do you need to incorporate feedback into your manuscript? Plus, we have 3 copies of ‘Violeta’ by Isabel Allende to giveaway.
Huge congratulations to Freda Chiu on being shortlisted for the Ena Noël Award Shortlist 2022! This is an incredible achievement for Freda who wrote and illustrated her picture book A Trip to the Hospital (Allen & Unwin), published last year. Although she was a successful freelance artist and educator when
Success comes in all shapes and sizes and for more than 62 of our alumni and presenters, it came in the size and shape of a published book. That’s right, 51 alumni from the Australian Writers’ Centre community published more than 57 books in 2021! Of course, that’s no surprise
Meet Anika Molesworth, author of Our Sunburnt Country. Want to enter the 2022 Penguin Literary Prize? Plus, discover how you could win our massive holiday reading 15-book pack!
Meet Fiona Murphy, author of ‘The Shape of Sound’. Prizes for unpublished manuscripts that are now open. Discover your must-read lists for children’s and young adult books. Plus, we have 10 double passes to ‘A Boy Called Christmas’, in cinemas 25 November to give away.
We’ve been big fans of Tania’s gorgeous historical fiction ever since her first bestselling novel, The Girl From Munich, which she published after attending a few of our courses here at the Australian Writers’ Centre. She has since gone on to publish its sequel, Suitcase of Dreams, and another wartime
This is the latest novel by Joanna, whose previous bestselling books include The Single Ladies of Jacaranda Retirement Village, The Last Voyage of Mrs Henry Parker and The Great Escape from Woodlands Nursing Home. And of course, it’s wonderful to see Joanna doing so well in her writing career as
“I loved the fact that it was online, self-paced and that I could complete the course around my family commitments,” Jacinta says. “I made connections with the lovely writing community and more recently I secured a publishing deal with the amazing Larrikin House.”
Jacinta’s debut picture book Jingle Belly will be published by Larrikin House in November 2021, with illustrations by Gabriella Petruso.
“The AWC was such a key part of that: meeting other writers, access to those who’d done it, the community that forms around those taking a course. Writing can be such a solitary pursuit for a gregarious, garrulous person like me! The AWC was the antidote to that.”
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