This could be you | Australian Writers' Centre

Troy Hunter enters the scene with his award-nominated debut novel

Troy Hunter had completed a full first draft of his debut novel but felt it wasn't working, particularly in the middle section. After discovering the Australian Writers' Centre, Troy went on to complete FOCUS ON… The Second Act and has now published his debut young adult detective novel Gus and the Missing Boy with Wakefield Press. He was also recently shortlisted in the 2024 Ned Kelly Awards for Best Debut Crime Fiction.

Sarah Jane Lightfoot’s path to author and illustrator success

“I enrolled in the Writing Picture Books course to learn as much as I could about the industry I was entering and build on my confidence and capabilities as an author. I'm so incredibly grateful that I did.” With her newfound skills, Sarah went on to publish her debut picture book ‘Down the Road, Little Bee'.

How Lisa Kenway landed a book deal for her psychological thriller ‘All You Took From Me'

Lisa Kenway had a rewarding career as an anaesthetist and the young family she’d always wanted, but she felt that something was missing from her life. She discovered the Australian Writers' Centre and loved that it offered short targeted courses she could fit around her busy life, and went on to complete eight courses. She kept writing, editing and honing her craft, before landing a publishing contract with Transit Lounge for her debut thriller, All You Took From Me.

Ariane Beeston’s journey to writing her compelling memoir

Having a baby is a life-changing experience, and for Ariane Beeston it was profoundly so. She experienced postpartum psychosis, a rare and debilitating mental illness. As part of her healing journey, she started writing about her experiences. After completing Freelance Writing Stage 1 at the Australian Writers' Centre, Ariane kickstarted her freelance writing career and has now published a memoir, Because I'm Not Myself, You See, with Black Inc.

Matt Samuel turns his dream of writing picture books into reality

Matt decided to enrol in Writing Picture Books at the Australian Writers' Centre and was hooked. Finally, he could put his picture book ideas into practice. After a meeting with an editor at Yellow Brick Books, Matt was offered a contract and his debut picture book The Other Side of the Clouds will be published this year.

Cassy Polimeni achieves her dream of becoming a children’s author

Cassy Polimeni always wanted to become an author and even studied creative writing at university. She followed this with a career in magazines and publishing, while putting her own creative pursuits on the back burner. But while he was on maternity leave, she took the opportunity to enrol in a course at the Australian Writers' Centre, which came highly recommended from writer friends. That investment and commitment to her craft paid off: Cassy has now published two books for children with another on the way.

How Mitch Jennings went from journalist to crime writer

Mitch Jennings had always harboured ambitions to write a novel, but he says that working fulltime as a journalist meant that writing at home after work wasn’t very appealing because he had already been writing all day. He knew that he needed structure and accountability, so he enrolled in Novel Writing Essentials at the Australian Writers' Centre.

How Jenna Lo Bianco went from 160 rejections to a successful career as a romance author

Jenna Lo Bianco, a secondary school Italian teacher, experienced what she calls a magical moment when she was on leave after the birth of her second child. Amid the chaos of the pandemic, she stumbled on a Tweet about the Australian Writers' Centre's Romance Writing course. At the time, Jenna had completed two manuscripts: Love & Rome and The Italian Marriage but she hadn’t yet found a publisher.

The course that changed Jess Horn’s life

Jess Horn was a busy working parent with no time for hobbies, but she decided she could just squeeze in a few minutes to enter the Furious Fiction competition at the Australian Writers' Centre. After that, she was hooked. With her childhood love of writing rekindled, Jess enrolled in Creative Writing Stage 1 and then dived into Writing Picture Books.

How AWC graduate Paula Gleeson scored a two-book six-figure deal

When Paula Gleeson’s grade four teacher told her she should write stories, Paula ran with it – or rather, ran away from it! She instead decided to pursue a career in film and television. Fast forward a few decades, and Paula finally followed that teacher’s advice by enrolling in Reinvent Yourself at the Australian Writers' Centre, followed by Anatomy of a Crime: How to Write About Murder and Pitch Your Novel: How to Attract Agents and Publishers. She went on to secure a two-book six-figure deal with Thomas and Mercer and her debut thriller, Original Twin, is out in bookstores right now.