Meet our Creative Writing Graduates

Meet our Creative Writing Graduates

Astrid Scholte
Astrid Scholte had always hoped to be published. In fact, she had the lofty goal of being published before she was 18. “I was a little ambitious! While it took me a lot longer I’m so happy to have achieved this dream of mine. I cannot wait to hold my book Four Dead Queens in my hands early next year, I’m sure there will be plenty of tears!” says Astrid.
Emma Pei Yin’s journey to publishing success
“I rolled up my sleeves, signed up for as many courses as I could with AWC and just went from there,” Emma told us.  After fine-tuning her skills, Emma perfected her manuscript and her pitch, and received offers from five literary agents before signing with Laurie Robertson at Peters Fraser Dunlop.
AWC alumna Brooke Graham’s picture books helps kids with anxiety
AWC courses completed:
Writing Picture Books
Writing Picture Books Masterclass
How to Write for Children and Young Adults
Build Your Author Platform
As a mum and a primary school teacher, Brooke Graham knew the value of good children's books. Reading to kids was one of the most enjoyable parts of her job. Then after completing the Writing Picture Books course at the Australian Writers' Centre, Brooke became hooked on writing and was determined to write her own. Her debut picture book Go Away, Worry Monster! has now been published by EK Books.
AWC alumna Dinuka McKenzie is an award-winning published author with her crime thrillers
Courses completed at AWC:
Anatomy of a Crime: How to Write About Murder
2 Hours to Scrivener Power
Build Your Author Platform

Dinuka McKenzie was a busy working mum when she decided to start writing as a creative outlet. The more she wrote, the more she loved it, so she decided to complete a few courses at the Australian Writers' Centre to hone her craft. After finishing her first crime manuscript, she entered it in the Banjo Prize for unpublished fiction – and then came the extraordinary news that she had won!

Meet our Freelance Writing graduates

Astrid Scholte
Astrid Scholte had always hoped to be published. In fact, she had the lofty goal of being published before she was 18. “I was a little ambitious! While it took me a lot longer I’m so happy to have achieved this dream of mine. I cannot wait to hold my book Four Dead Queens in my hands early next year, I’m sure there will be plenty of tears!” says Astrid.
Emma Pei Yin’s journey to publishing success
“I rolled up my sleeves, signed up for as many courses as I could with AWC and just went from there,” Emma told us.  After fine-tuning her skills, Emma perfected her manuscript and her pitch, and received offers from five literary agents before signing with Laurie Robertson at Peters Fraser Dunlop.
AWC alumna Brooke Graham’s picture books helps kids with anxiety
AWC courses completed:
Writing Picture Books
Writing Picture Books Masterclass
How to Write for Children and Young Adults
Build Your Author Platform
As a mum and a primary school teacher, Brooke Graham knew the value of good children's books. Reading to kids was one of the most enjoyable parts of her job. Then after completing the Writing Picture Books course at the Australian Writers' Centre, Brooke became hooked on writing and was determined to write her own. Her debut picture book Go Away, Worry Monster! has now been published by EK Books.
AWC alumna Dinuka McKenzie is an award-winning published author with her crime thrillers
Courses completed at AWC:
Anatomy of a Crime: How to Write About Murder
2 Hours to Scrivener Power
Build Your Author Platform

Dinuka McKenzie was a busy working mum when she decided to start writing as a creative outlet. The more she wrote, the more she loved it, so she decided to complete a few courses at the Australian Writers' Centre to hone her craft. After finishing her first crime manuscript, she entered it in the Banjo Prize for unpublished fiction – and then came the extraordinary news that she had won!
Amy Hutton scores two book deals
When television producer Amy Hutton decided she wanted to switch careers and become a writer, she went all in. After making such a decisive move, Amy knew she had to learn the craft of writing if she were to succeed. She liked the variety of courses on offer at the Australian Writers' Centre and she jumped in, learning the essentials of Fiction and Grammar, Plotting and Planning and how to Pitch Your Novel. Fast forward a few years and Amy is now a published author, with her debut novel Sit, Stay, Love released in 2023 and the follow up Love From Scratch out in 2024, both published by Simon & Schuster.
Vikki Conley’s path to becoming an award-winning children’s author
Courses taken at AWC:
Writing Picture Books

Vikki Conley dreamed of writing for children and, over the years, that little voice telling her to write books got louder until she simply couldn’t ignore it. She threw in her marketing job, enrolled in an Australian Writers' Centre course and started writing. Within two years, she has already established herself as a prolific author, with the publication of seven picture books and contracts with four publishers. Her most recent book is the CBCA shortlisted Amira's Suitcase, while Milly and the Mulberry Tree and Where the Lyrebird Lives will be released in 2022. Vikki's other publications include Tomorrow Girl, Little Puggle's Song, The Lost Moustache and Ella & Mrs Gooseberry.
How Madeline Te Whiu became a fantasy author
Her perseverance paid off with the completion of her first draft for The Assassin Thief. But over 50 rejections later, she knew she needed to try a new approach. Madeline enrolled in Creative Writing Stage 1 at the Australian Writers' Centre to nail the basics of her story, then went on to edit her manuscript with Cut, Shape, Polish. After taking Pitch Your Novel: How to Attract Agents and Publishers, she was ready to send out her novel again - and this time she was snapped up by New Dawn Publishing.
Karina May is set to be the Next Big Thing in rom-com writing
Karina May was working in digital marketing when she started dabbling in creative writing just for the fun of it – but she soon found herself hooked on the craft of storytelling. She voraciously attended courses at the Australian Writers' Centre, including two rounds of Write Your Novel with Pamela Freeman, which gave her the structure to complete her first manuscript. After signing a two-book deal with Pan MacMillan, Karina has now released her novel Duck à l'Orange for Breakfast.
Zewlan Moor launches her career as an author with two picture books!
When Dr Zewlan Moor started her training to become a general practitioner, she had two goals: to complete her GP fellowship and to write a novel for National Novel Writing Month (Nanowrimo). It might seem like an unusual combination, but Zewlan was determined to follow her passion for writing alongside her medical career. She was drawn to Writing Picture Books at the Australian Writers' Centre and is now delighted to announce that she will be publishing two picture books in 2023.
Susannah Glenn’s reinvention to become an author
“My earliest memories were of reading and writing and dreaming of becoming a full-time writer. Instead, I became a journalist and editor (the pay was better), thinking ‘one day’ I’ll turn my attention to fiction,” Susannah told us. “Well, that ‘one day’ had come! I rolled up my sleeves and learnt everything I could about how and where to start. Fortunately, one of the amazing resources I discovered was the Australian Writers’ Centre.”
Helen Edwards publishes debut children’s novel
Helen Edwards had spent her life pursuing various careers, including social work, charity and interior styling, but what “beat inside her heart like a thousand tiny wings” was her desire to be an author. After completing her PhD in Psychology, she felt the time was now. She signed up for an Australian Writers' Centre course and immediately began work on her first manuscript. Fast forward a few more manuscripts, and Helen has published her debut middle grade novel The Rebels of Mount Buffalo with Riveted Press.
Vikki Marmaras scores three book deals after AWC course
Vikki Marmaras was on maternity leave with her second child when she decided she needed a new challenge. She had been writing picture book manuscripts on and off for a few years, but didn’t feel like she was getting anywhere, so she signed up for the course Writing Picture Books.
How workshopping helped Bronwyn Hall achieve publishing success
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.
Joanne Speirs goes from student to successful romance author
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.
How Alli Parker’s tweet resulted in her book deal
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.”
Jo Dabrowski gets three book deals as a children’s author
“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.
Chenée Marrapodi goes from hobby writer to published children’s author
“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.
Anna Spargo-Ryan on writing beautiful sentences
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.
Heidi Walkinshaw’s new career as a picture book author and copywriter
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 our Creative Writing graduates

Astrid Scholte
Astrid Scholte had always hoped to be published. In fact, she had the lofty goal of being published before she was 18. “I was a little ambitious! While it took me a lot longer I’m so happy to have achieved this dream of mine. I cannot wait to hold my book Four Dead Queens in my hands early next year, I’m sure there will be plenty of tears!” says Astrid.
Emma Pei Yin’s journey to publishing success
“I rolled up my sleeves, signed up for as many courses as I could with AWC and just went from there,” Emma told us.  After fine-tuning her skills, Emma perfected her manuscript and her pitch, and received offers from five literary agents before signing with Laurie Robertson at Peters Fraser Dunlop.
AWC alumna Brooke Graham’s picture books helps kids with anxiety
AWC courses completed:
Writing Picture Books
Writing Picture Books Masterclass
How to Write for Children and Young Adults
Build Your Author Platform
As a mum and a primary school teacher, Brooke Graham knew the value of good children's books. Reading to kids was one of the most enjoyable parts of her job. Then after completing the Writing Picture Books course at the Australian Writers' Centre, Brooke became hooked on writing and was determined to write her own. Her debut picture book Go Away, Worry Monster! has now been published by EK Books.
AWC alumna Dinuka McKenzie is an award-winning published author with her crime thrillers
Courses completed at AWC:
Anatomy of a Crime: How to Write About Murder
2 Hours to Scrivener Power
Build Your Author Platform

Dinuka McKenzie was a busy working mum when she decided to start writing as a creative outlet. The more she wrote, the more she loved it, so she decided to complete a few courses at the Australian Writers' Centre to hone her craft. After finishing her first crime manuscript, she entered it in the Banjo Prize for unpublished fiction – and then came the extraordinary news that she had won!

Meet our Freelance Writing graduates

Astrid Scholte
Astrid Scholte had always hoped to be published. In fact, she had the lofty goal of being published before she was 18. “I was a little ambitious! While it took me a lot longer I’m so happy to have achieved this dream of mine. I cannot wait to hold my book Four Dead Queens in my hands early next year, I’m sure there will be plenty of tears!” says Astrid.
Emma Pei Yin’s journey to publishing success
“I rolled up my sleeves, signed up for as many courses as I could with AWC and just went from there,” Emma told us.  After fine-tuning her skills, Emma perfected her manuscript and her pitch, and received offers from five literary agents before signing with Laurie Robertson at Peters Fraser Dunlop.
AWC alumna Brooke Graham’s picture books helps kids with anxiety
AWC courses completed:
Writing Picture Books
Writing Picture Books Masterclass
How to Write for Children and Young Adults
Build Your Author Platform
As a mum and a primary school teacher, Brooke Graham knew the value of good children's books. Reading to kids was one of the most enjoyable parts of her job. Then after completing the Writing Picture Books course at the Australian Writers' Centre, Brooke became hooked on writing and was determined to write her own. Her debut picture book Go Away, Worry Monster! has now been published by EK Books.
AWC alumna Dinuka McKenzie is an award-winning published author with her crime thrillers
Courses completed at AWC:
Anatomy of a Crime: How to Write About Murder
2 Hours to Scrivener Power
Build Your Author Platform

Dinuka McKenzie was a busy working mum when she decided to start writing as a creative outlet. The more she wrote, the more she loved it, so she decided to complete a few courses at the Australian Writers' Centre to hone her craft. After finishing her first crime manuscript, she entered it in the Banjo Prize for unpublished fiction – and then came the extraordinary news that she had won!
Amy Hutton scores two book deals
When television producer Amy Hutton decided she wanted to switch careers and become a writer, she went all in. After making such a decisive move, Amy knew she had to learn the craft of writing if she were to succeed. She liked the variety of courses on offer at the Australian Writers' Centre and she jumped in, learning the essentials of Fiction and Grammar, Plotting and Planning and how to Pitch Your Novel. Fast forward a few years and Amy is now a published author, with her debut novel Sit, Stay, Love released in 2023 and the follow up Love From Scratch out in 2024, both published by Simon & Schuster.
Vikki Conley’s path to becoming an award-winning children’s author
Courses taken at AWC:
Writing Picture Books

Vikki Conley dreamed of writing for children and, over the years, that little voice telling her to write books got louder until she simply couldn’t ignore it. She threw in her marketing job, enrolled in an Australian Writers' Centre course and started writing. Within two years, she has already established herself as a prolific author, with the publication of seven picture books and contracts with four publishers. Her most recent book is the CBCA shortlisted Amira's Suitcase, while Milly and the Mulberry Tree and Where the Lyrebird Lives will be released in 2022. Vikki's other publications include Tomorrow Girl, Little Puggle's Song, The Lost Moustache and Ella & Mrs Gooseberry.
How Madeline Te Whiu became a fantasy author
Her perseverance paid off with the completion of her first draft for The Assassin Thief. But over 50 rejections later, she knew she needed to try a new approach. Madeline enrolled in Creative Writing Stage 1 at the Australian Writers' Centre to nail the basics of her story, then went on to edit her manuscript with Cut, Shape, Polish. After taking Pitch Your Novel: How to Attract Agents and Publishers, she was ready to send out her novel again - and this time she was snapped up by New Dawn Publishing.
Karina May is set to be the Next Big Thing in rom-com writing
Karina May was working in digital marketing when she started dabbling in creative writing just for the fun of it – but she soon found herself hooked on the craft of storytelling. She voraciously attended courses at the Australian Writers' Centre, including two rounds of Write Your Novel with Pamela Freeman, which gave her the structure to complete her first manuscript. After signing a two-book deal with Pan MacMillan, Karina has now released her novel Duck à l'Orange for Breakfast.
Zewlan Moor launches her career as an author with two picture books!
When Dr Zewlan Moor started her training to become a general practitioner, she had two goals: to complete her GP fellowship and to write a novel for National Novel Writing Month (Nanowrimo). It might seem like an unusual combination, but Zewlan was determined to follow her passion for writing alongside her medical career. She was drawn to Writing Picture Books at the Australian Writers' Centre and is now delighted to announce that she will be publishing two picture books in 2023.
Susannah Glenn’s reinvention to become an author
“My earliest memories were of reading and writing and dreaming of becoming a full-time writer. Instead, I became a journalist and editor (the pay was better), thinking ‘one day’ I’ll turn my attention to fiction,” Susannah told us. “Well, that ‘one day’ had come! I rolled up my sleeves and learnt everything I could about how and where to start. Fortunately, one of the amazing resources I discovered was the Australian Writers’ Centre.”
Helen Edwards publishes debut children’s novel
Helen Edwards had spent her life pursuing various careers, including social work, charity and interior styling, but what “beat inside her heart like a thousand tiny wings” was her desire to be an author. After completing her PhD in Psychology, she felt the time was now. She signed up for an Australian Writers' Centre course and immediately began work on her first manuscript. Fast forward a few more manuscripts, and Helen has published her debut middle grade novel The Rebels of Mount Buffalo with Riveted Press.
Vikki Marmaras scores three book deals after AWC course
Vikki Marmaras was on maternity leave with her second child when she decided she needed a new challenge. She had been writing picture book manuscripts on and off for a few years, but didn’t feel like she was getting anywhere, so she signed up for the course Writing Picture Books.
How workshopping helped Bronwyn Hall achieve publishing success
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.
Joanne Speirs goes from student to successful romance author
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.
How Alli Parker’s tweet resulted in her book deal
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.”
Jo Dabrowski gets three book deals as a children’s author
“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.
Chenée Marrapodi goes from hobby writer to published children’s author
“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.
Anna Spargo-Ryan on writing beautiful sentences
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.
Heidi Walkinshaw’s new career as a picture book author and copywriter
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 our Creative Writing graduates

Astrid Scholte
Astrid Scholte had always hoped to be published. In fact, she had the lofty goal of being published before she was 18. “I was a little ambitious! While it took me a lot longer I’m so happy to have achieved this dream of mine. I cannot wait to hold my book Four Dead Queens in my hands early next year, I’m sure there will be plenty of tears!” says Astrid.
Emma Pei Yin’s journey to publishing success
“I rolled up my sleeves, signed up for as many courses as I could with AWC and just went from there,” Emma told us.  After fine-tuning her skills, Emma perfected her manuscript and her pitch, and received offers from five literary agents before signing with Laurie Robertson at Peters Fraser Dunlop.
AWC alumna Brooke Graham’s picture books helps kids with anxiety
AWC courses completed:
Writing Picture Books
Writing Picture Books Masterclass
How to Write for Children and Young Adults
Build Your Author Platform
As a mum and a primary school teacher, Brooke Graham knew the value of good children's books. Reading to kids was one of the most enjoyable parts of her job. Then after completing the Writing Picture Books course at the Australian Writers' Centre, Brooke became hooked on writing and was determined to write her own. Her debut picture book Go Away, Worry Monster! has now been published by EK Books.
AWC alumna Dinuka McKenzie is an award-winning published author with her crime thrillers
Courses completed at AWC:
Anatomy of a Crime: How to Write About Murder
2 Hours to Scrivener Power
Build Your Author Platform

Dinuka McKenzie was a busy working mum when she decided to start writing as a creative outlet. The more she wrote, the more she loved it, so she decided to complete a few courses at the Australian Writers' Centre to hone her craft. After finishing her first crime manuscript, she entered it in the Banjo Prize for unpublished fiction – and then came the extraordinary news that she had won!
Astrid Scholte
Astrid Scholte had always hoped to be published. In fact, she had the lofty goal of being published before she was 18. “I was a little ambitious! While it took me a lot longer I’m so happy to have achieved this dream of mine. I cannot wait to hold my book Four Dead Queens in my hands early next year, I’m sure there will be plenty of tears!” says Astrid.
Emma Pei Yin’s journey to publishing success
“I rolled up my sleeves, signed up for as many courses as I could with AWC and just went from there,” Emma told us.  After fine-tuning her skills, Emma perfected her manuscript and her pitch, and received offers from five literary agents before signing with Laurie Robertson at Peters Fraser Dunlop.
AWC alumna Brooke Graham’s picture books helps kids with anxiety
AWC courses completed:
Writing Picture Books
Writing Picture Books Masterclass
How to Write for Children and Young Adults
Build Your Author Platform
As a mum and a primary school teacher, Brooke Graham knew the value of good children's books. Reading to kids was one of the most enjoyable parts of her job. Then after completing the Writing Picture Books course at the Australian Writers' Centre, Brooke became hooked on writing and was determined to write her own. Her debut picture book Go Away, Worry Monster! has now been published by EK Books.
AWC alumna Dinuka McKenzie is an award-winning published author with her crime thrillers
Courses completed at AWC:
Anatomy of a Crime: How to Write About Murder
2 Hours to Scrivener Power
Build Your Author Platform

Dinuka McKenzie was a busy working mum when she decided to start writing as a creative outlet. The more she wrote, the more she loved it, so she decided to complete a few courses at the Australian Writers' Centre to hone her craft. After finishing her first crime manuscript, she entered it in the Banjo Prize for unpublished fiction – and then came the extraordinary news that she had won!
Amy Hutton scores two book deals
When television producer Amy Hutton decided she wanted to switch careers and become a writer, she went all in. After making such a decisive move, Amy knew she had to learn the craft of writing if she were to succeed. She liked the variety of courses on offer at the Australian Writers' Centre and she jumped in, learning the essentials of Fiction and Grammar, Plotting and Planning and how to Pitch Your Novel. Fast forward a few years and Amy is now a published author, with her debut novel Sit, Stay, Love released in 2023 and the follow up Love From Scratch out in 2024, both published by Simon & Schuster.
Vikki Conley’s path to becoming an award-winning children’s author
Courses taken at AWC:
Writing Picture Books

Vikki Conley dreamed of writing for children and, over the years, that little voice telling her to write books got louder until she simply couldn’t ignore it. She threw in her marketing job, enrolled in an Australian Writers' Centre course and started writing. Within two years, she has already established herself as a prolific author, with the publication of seven picture books and contracts with four publishers. Her most recent book is the CBCA shortlisted Amira's Suitcase, while Milly and the Mulberry Tree and Where the Lyrebird Lives will be released in 2022. Vikki's other publications include Tomorrow Girl, Little Puggle's Song, The Lost Moustache and Ella & Mrs Gooseberry.
How Madeline Te Whiu became a fantasy author
Her perseverance paid off with the completion of her first draft for The Assassin Thief. But over 50 rejections later, she knew she needed to try a new approach. Madeline enrolled in Creative Writing Stage 1 at the Australian Writers' Centre to nail the basics of her story, then went on to edit her manuscript with Cut, Shape, Polish. After taking Pitch Your Novel: How to Attract Agents and Publishers, she was ready to send out her novel again - and this time she was snapped up by New Dawn Publishing.
Karina May is set to be the Next Big Thing in rom-com writing
Karina May was working in digital marketing when she started dabbling in creative writing just for the fun of it – but she soon found herself hooked on the craft of storytelling. She voraciously attended courses at the Australian Writers' Centre, including two rounds of Write Your Novel with Pamela Freeman, which gave her the structure to complete her first manuscript. After signing a two-book deal with Pan MacMillan, Karina has now released her novel Duck à l'Orange for Breakfast.
Zewlan Moor launches her career as an author with two picture books!
When Dr Zewlan Moor started her training to become a general practitioner, she had two goals: to complete her GP fellowship and to write a novel for National Novel Writing Month (Nanowrimo). It might seem like an unusual combination, but Zewlan was determined to follow her passion for writing alongside her medical career. She was drawn to Writing Picture Books at the Australian Writers' Centre and is now delighted to announce that she will be publishing two picture books in 2023.
Susannah Glenn’s reinvention to become an author
“My earliest memories were of reading and writing and dreaming of becoming a full-time writer. Instead, I became a journalist and editor (the pay was better), thinking ‘one day’ I’ll turn my attention to fiction,” Susannah told us. “Well, that ‘one day’ had come! I rolled up my sleeves and learnt everything I could about how and where to start. Fortunately, one of the amazing resources I discovered was the Australian Writers’ Centre.”
Helen Edwards publishes debut children’s novel
Helen Edwards had spent her life pursuing various careers, including social work, charity and interior styling, but what “beat inside her heart like a thousand tiny wings” was her desire to be an author. After completing her PhD in Psychology, she felt the time was now. She signed up for an Australian Writers' Centre course and immediately began work on her first manuscript. Fast forward a few more manuscripts, and Helen has published her debut middle grade novel The Rebels of Mount Buffalo with Riveted Press.
Vikki Marmaras scores three book deals after AWC course
Vikki Marmaras was on maternity leave with her second child when she decided she needed a new challenge. She had been writing picture book manuscripts on and off for a few years, but didn’t feel like she was getting anywhere, so she signed up for the course Writing Picture Books.
How workshopping helped Bronwyn Hall achieve publishing success
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.
Joanne Speirs goes from student to successful romance author
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.
How Alli Parker’s tweet resulted in her book deal
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.”
Jo Dabrowski gets three book deals as a children’s author
“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.
Chenée Marrapodi goes from hobby writer to published children’s author
“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.
Anna Spargo-Ryan on writing beautiful sentences
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.
Heidi Walkinshaw’s new career as a picture book author and copywriter
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.