Category: Interviews with writers

Fiction writing
Australian Writers' Centre Team

A chat with author Karyn Sepulveda

Ideas for books can come at any moment, and for author Karyn Sepulveda, hers happened in one of the most common places. But more on that in a moment. We’re talking about the newly released Young Adult fantasy novel, Choosing Xaverique and we’re talking with Karyn. Hi Karyn, so what’s

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Fiction writing
Australian Writers' Centre Team

Q&A with Cath Ferla – author of Ghost Girls

Not to be confused with the upcoming all-female remake of Ghostbusters, this brand new novel – Ghost Girls (Echo Publishing) – takes place mainly in and around Sydney’s Chinatown district, with enough mystery and intrigue to shake many sticks at. We wanted to get to the bottom of this story,

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Interviews with writers
Australian Writers' Centre Team

Talking ‘Practical Perfection’ with Kelly Exeter

Editor, graphic designer, freelance writer, blogger, productivity ponderer and self-confessed perfectionist Kelly Exeter is also an author – and her latest book has just been released. It’s called Practical Perfection and it’s all about “smart strategies for an excellent life”. We quizzed everyone in the office and we all wanted

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Fiction writing
Australian Writers' Centre Team

We chat with Nicole Hayes about her new book about AFL

So Nicole Hayes is going gangbusters right now – with her YA fiction novels being so well received right across Australia and beyond. But her latest book, From the Outer: Footy like you’ve never heard it, is a collection of stories written by a range of different people about the

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Fiction writing
Australian Writers' Centre Team

Katrina Nannestad talks “Olive of Groves”

Katrina Nannestad is the author of children’s fiction book Olive of Groves – shortlisted for the 2016 Indie Awards. We contacted her to find out more, and Katrina was only too happy to answer a few questions. So, Katrina, for those who haven’t read Olive of Groves yet, can you

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Alumni/Student success stories
Australian Writers' Centre Team

Michaela Fox: Blogger turned successful freelance writer

As a blogger, Michaela Fox was already loving being able to write while at home, but it was almost too comfortable. The idea of working as a freelance writer and earning a living really appealed.

“Being able to freelance from home is just the ideal situation for me,” she says. “I get to still be at home with my kids, which is really important for me. I want to be involved in their lives – they’re only young.”

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Fiction writing
Australian Writers' Centre Team

Alison Goodman talks Regency mash-up fiction

We’re here today with Alison Goodman – New York Bestselling author of the fantasy duology EON and EONA. Her latest novel is The Dark Days Club – book one of a new trilogy, which has been described as “a delicious collision of Regency romance and dark fantasy”. So Alison, how

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Fiction writing
Australian Writers' Centre Team

“My First Time”: Jackie French

Every successful author had a first novel – the one that started it all and paved the way for what followed. Fortunes may shift up and down, but you are a first-time novelist just once. And like many other “first times”, there’s often a story to be told. Jackie French

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Alumni/Student success stories
Australian Writers' Centre Team

How part-time lawyer Libby Hakim carved out a successful career as a freelance writer

Libby Hakim had a simple goal: to see her byline in a magazine or newspaper. After completing a course at the Australian Writers’ Centre, she not only achieved that – she’s now been published in many top publications.

Working as a part-time lawyer, Libby first completed a five-week online course in Magazine and Newspaper Writing Stage 1. That changed the course of Libby’s life. “Before I started the course I actually had the goal of getting published, I wanted to see my byline in a magazine or a newspaper,” says Libby, who was working part-time as a lawyer.

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Alumni/Student success stories
Australian Writers' Centre Team

Catherine Rodie: overcoming dyslexia to become a successful writer

Catherine Rodie never thought she would become a writer. This limiting belief, coupled with her experience with dyslexia, meant that she hadn’t considered that writing could be a real career for her. But after completing a course at the Australian Writers’ Centre, that all changed. And now, she’s not only become one of the most prolific freelance writers in Australia, she’s laid the foundations to pursue a career in publishing, recently scoring a coveted part-time role at Bauer Magazines.

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Alumni/Student success stories
Australian Writers' Centre Team

Rob Grant: From nine-to-five corporate cubicle dweller to exotic adventures as a travel writer

Rob Grant loves travelling. But it can be hard to satisfy your wanderlust when you’re consumed by a nine-to-five corporate career. That’s exactly the position Rob was in until he discovered the Travel Writing course at the Australian Writers’ Centre. Now he’s swapped his corporate job for his new path in life – working part-time as a travel writer and part-time as a marketing consultant.

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Fiction writing
Australian Writers' Centre Team

Author Ellie Marney’s TOP 3 tips for YA writers

In a recent episode of our top-rating podcast So you want to be a writer, Allison Tait chatted with popular Young Adult (YA) writer Ellie Marney. (And when we say popular, we’re talking about her novel, Every Breath, being one of only two Australian novels on the 2015 list of most

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Alumni/Student success stories
Australian Writers' Centre Team

Josefa Pete: research scientist becomes freelance feature writer

“Eighteen months ago, if someone had said to me you’re going to be doing freelance writing, I probably would have brushed it off and said ‘no way’…”

And yet today Josefa Pete, busy mum to two boys, proudly calls herself a freelance writer, without a moment’s hesitation. So what changed?

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Fiction writing
Australian Writers' Centre Team

The Vault: Nicole Hayes

Nicole Hayes is an author, speaker and writing teacher based in Melbourne. She has an MA in Creative Writing and runs writing workshops at different locations in and around Melbourne. Nicole’s first novel, The Whole of My World, was shortlisted in the 2014 Young Australian Best Book Awards (YABBA) and

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Alumni/Student success stories
Australian Writers' Centre Team

AWC graduate Megan Blandford: From human resources to successful writer

After becoming a first time mum, Megan Blandford, then 34, surprised herself. She didn’t feel compelled to return to her human resources role in the corporate world.

Her company wanted her to return to work full time. “I remember sitting in front of my computer one day and thinking: ‘what do I do?'” she says. “I always wanted to try writing since I was a little girl and I got caught up in this sort of sensible path of the mainstream thing people do. So I sat there and thought, right it’s now or never.”

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Fiction writing
Australian Writers' Centre Team

65-Storey Treehouse author Andy Griffiths talks bums and writing…

Andy Griffiths is one of Australia’s most popular children’s authors, best known for the Treehouse series, the JUST! books, and the delightfully titled The Day My Bum Went Psycho. The 65-Storey Treehouse hit shelves in August 2015, to the great excitement of children everywhere. And amid this furious launching frenzy,

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