We checked our list, we counted it twice, and we still have no idea who is naughty or nice – BUT we are delighted to announce that our graduates published more than 50 books throughout 2022. What an absolute bonanza!
This amazing publishing success has come in the shape of adult fiction, books for kids, non-fiction, poetry, short stories and memoirs – basically, our alumni have demonstrated once again that they can do it all.
And here in no particular order (okay, it’s in alphabetical order by first name – we had SO MANY successful graduates that we had to put them all in a spreadsheet) are a selection of the amazing books published by our graduates this year.
Al Campbell – The Keepers
Alex Sarkis – Something Blue
Alyce Elmore – When All Hope is Lost
Anna Spargo-Ryan – A Kind Of Magic
Apsara Boldovino – The Lucky Shack
Astrid Scholte – League of Liars
Belinda Carli – The Innocent Witch
Bettina Deda – Dare To Dance
Bronwyn Hall – Gone to Ground
Carla Fitzgerald – Keeping Up with the Dachshunds
Carla Fitzgerald – How to be Prime Minister and Survive Grade Five
Cathrine Mahony – Currently Between Husbands
Charlotte Barkla – From My Head to My Toes I Say What Goes
Deb Frenkel – Naturopolis
Debra Clewer – Ah-Fur, Super Sleuth – The Case of The Missing Moggies
Diane Connell – The Improbable Life of Ricky Bird
Dinuka McKenzie – The Torrent
Freda Chiu – Miss Mary-Kate Martin’s Guide to Monsters
Gabriella Margo – All's Fair in Love and Tequila
Gabriella Margo – Tulips from Mal
Gaylene Young – A Date to Die For
Jeanette Stampone – Shadow and the Girl
Jennifer Hetherington – Between Coastal Rocks & Softer Places
Jim Lemon – Algae
Julie Fison – One Punch
Karen Ginnane – When Souls Tear
Karne Loon – Fostering Culturally Diverse Leadership in Organisations
Kim Sami – Orisons : Soulful Reflections
Kristy Nita Brown – Looking for Lily
Kylie Orr – Someone Else's Child
Lindsay Duncan – Becoming Ben: From God to Gay
Louise Bassett – The Hidden Girl
Madeline Te Whiu – The Assassin Thief
Maria McKinnon – Elkie's Escape
Michael Garozzo – Wilson and the Superdoopers
Millie Lewis – Mr Price's Pet Emporium
Miranda Luby – Sadie Starr’s Guide to Starting Over
Monica Lunin – What She Said
Naomi Hart – Life at the Bottom of the Blender
Nat Amoore – We Run Tomorrow
Paula Stevenson – Buster Follows His Nose
Penelope Janu – Clouds on the Horizon
Penelope Janu – On the Same Page
Pete Mitchell – Darwin's Wake
Petronella McGovern – The Liars
Rae Cairns – The Good Mother
Rebecca Marshallsay – Facing the Wave
Reece Carter – A Girl Called Corpse
Richard Pritchard – Wylah the Koorie Warrior
Samera Kamaleddine – Half My Luck
Shankari Chandran – Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens
Sandhya Parappukkaran – The Boy Who Tried to Shrink His Name
Susea Spray – A Big Blue Boat
Valerie G. Miller – Everything in Between
Veronica Lando – The Whispering
Vikki Conley – Milly and the Mulberry Tree
Vikki Conley – Amira's Suitcase
So how did they do it?
One thing is clear from all of our graduates – to realise your dream of becoming a published author takes commitment to yourself and to your craft.
Veronica Lando, whose debut novel The Whispering won the prestigious Banjo Prize in 2021 and has now been published by HarperCollins, says: “Becoming a published author always felt like some far-fetched dream that only happened to other people. It was only when I got stuck into some of my AWC courses and learned to develop (and stick to) a writing routine, that I started to take myself more seriously.”
Millie Lewis, whose debut picture book Mr Price's Pet Emporium was published by Larrikin House, says: “The Writing Picture Books course showed me that I could learn to master something I knew very little about. For the first time since having a baby, I felt competent at something, and that was truly transformative for me”
Reece Carter, who is making waves with his brilliant debut A Girl Called Corpse and is now a full-time writer, says: “I say this to anybody who will listen: Writing is a skill that can be learned. Forget the notion that you are either ‘talented’ or ‘untalented’ because everybody (I mean it, everybody!) has potential in them. But to turn your big ideas into a book that excites and entertains, you need to take the time to learn the tools of the trade.”
Congratulations to all of our graduates on their publishing success! (And if you have something writing-related to celebrate, please send us an email at [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you!)
Here’s to a fabulous 2022 – and let’s look forward to even more in 2023. We hope to see YOUR name on this list next year.
