A publishing dream come true for Pamela Jones
When her youngest son was a toddler, Pamela Jones found herself with two whole free hours a week. Not wanting to waste that precious time on household chores, Pamela instead decided to do something delicious for herself: she enrolled in Writing Picture Books at the Australian Writers' Centre.
Read MoreAWC graduate Miranda Young’s biography on Olivia Newton-John
Miranda Young didn’t expect to receive a “smashingly good confidence boost” for her birthday, but that’s exactly what she got when her mother gave her a voucher for the course Creative Writing Stage 1 at the Australian Writers' Centre.
Read MoreHelen 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.
Read MoreVikki 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.
Read MoreLucy Lever's journey from aspiring writer to published author
Lucy Lever had been writing on and off for years, but could never quite finish the novel she dreamt of writing. That all changed when she discovered the Australian Writers' Centre. “Stumbling across AWC was like discovering a treasure trove of wonderful courses, and I wanted to do them all,” Lucy told us. “I realised that I should have started rather than finished here, given that AWC offered a step-by-step guide to novel writing and many other wonderful courses with lots of workshopping along the way and highly skilled teachers.” Lucy went on to complete several courses with the AWC and her debut novel, Mystic Ridge, has now been published by HarperCollins HQ.
Read MoreApsara Baldovino’s picture book ‘The Lucky Shack’
“I sent one of my stories to Cathie and she told me that she felt that I should consider starting with the foundations first and recommended the Australian Writers' Centre Writing Picture Books course before taking on a mentor,” Apsara told us. “It was the best advice I could have ever received. Cathie had designed the course so, in a way, I was able to learn from the best in a structured way with a group online.”
Read MoreCarla Francis loves cats – and is making a career out of writing about them!
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 well as several translations. “I […]
Read MoreHow 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.
Read MoreSarah Rodgers releases her novel ‘In the End'
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.
Read MoreKiralee is on track with her first picture book
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.
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