Meet author Vikki Conley. As an award-winning author with 11 internationally published picture books, Vikki shares her journey starting from her childhood experiences, writing career in marketing and journalism to her success as a writer. She discusses the themes and inspirations behind her books and also provides valuable advice for aspiring authors. The conversation also includes Vikki's take on the importance of writer's workshops, the role of an illustrator in a picture book and the process of publishing a book. Throughout the episode, Valerie shares writing tips, a word of the week, and details on the current competition.
00:00 Introduction and New Year's reflections 02:08 Fiction essentials series: A deep dive into storytelling 04:13 Interview with Nat Newman: Writing tips and beer stories 06:30 Understanding underwriters and overwriters 10:15 Weekly competition: Australia's Most Infamous Criminals by Graham Seal 12:32 Word of the week: Conge 13:16 Interview with Vikki Conley: Journey to becoming a successful author 23:06 The process of writing a picture book 27:48 The magic of books 28:13 The writing process and balancing multiple roles 30:10 Visiting schools and engaging with students 32:31 Do authors need to do school visits to succeed? 33:53 Working with different illustrators and publishing houses 37:36 Family influence and inspiration for writing 41:20 The process of developing story ideas 49:24 Advice for aspiring writers 51:29 Fun facts and conclusionÂ
Vikki is an author, nature lover and intrepid adventurer. She has worked as a professional writer and marketer, with diverse communities across three continents, for over 20 years. ​ In search of extraordinary stories, she has climbed inside Icelandic glaciers, entered war-torn countries and interviewed African dignitaries in a paddock full of eeyoring donkeys!
In her spare time, Vikki does cartwheels with her two children and searches for platypus in the rivers near her home in Eltham, Australia.
