Category: Alumni/Student success stories

Alumni/Student success stories
Australian Writers’ Centre Team

Writing Podcast Episode 384 Tania Blanchard’s ‘Letters from Berlin’ [Story Sessions series]

In Episode 384 of So You Want To Be A Writer: This ‘inbetweenisode’ is part of our Story Sessions series featuring Letters from Berlin by Tania Blanchard. Set in 1943 Berlin, 18-year-old Susanna Göttmann accepts the help of an influential Nazi officer to protect her family and the man she loves. But at what cost? Tania once again draws on her own family history to tell an extraordinary tale of tragedy and courage, love and loss, endings and new beginnings. We bring bookshop browsing to you in this episode with the first chapter of this book.

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Alumni/Student success stories
Australian Writers’ Centre Team

Writing Podcast Episode 380 Penelope Janu’s ‘Starting from Scratch’ [Story Sessions series]

In Episode 380 of So You Want To Be A Writer: This ‘inbetweenisode’ is part of our Story Sessions series featuring ‘Starting From Scratch’ by Penelope Janu. Return to the town of Horseshoe Hill and Sapphie Brown as she grapples with her injured pride, and questions if it’s standing in the way of true love. Narrated by the author herself, we bring bookshop browsing to you in this episode with the first chapter of this charming rural romance.

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Alumni/Student success stories
Australian Writers’ Centre Team

Teacher Krys Saclier publishes a picture book about Australia’s electoral system!

Explaining Australia’s federal voting system seems like strange inspiration for a picture book – but that’s exactly what Krys Saclier did for her second book Vote 4 Me, illustrated by Cathy Wilcox, and published through Wild Dog Books.
Krys is a graduate of several AWC courses, including History, Mystery and Magic, How to Write for Children and Young Adults, and Pitch Your Novel: How to Attract Agents and Publishers. Her debut picture book, Super Nova, was published in 2019 through Ford Street Publishing with illustrations by Rebecca Timmis.

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Alumni/Student success stories
Australian Writers’ Centre Team

AWC graduate Theresa Miller publishes debut novel ‘The Spin Doctor’s Wife’

Enrolling in the Write Your Novel program was just the push that Theresa Miller needed to finish the draft of her first fiction manuscript. There’s nothing like a deadline to motivate you to finish a project! That book, The Spin Doctor’s Wife, is out now through Critical Mass. 

“The Write Your Novel program helped me finish and publish my novel – which is something I’ve wanted to do since I learned to read,” Theresa says. “[The program] had a huge impact!”

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Alumni/Student success stories
Australian Writers’ Centre Team

From newsreader to published author: Nicole Webb publishes debut memoir ‘China Blonde’

Nicole Webb was a trained journalist and newsreader, with a wealth of writing talent. But when she sat down to write her memoir of life in China, she knew she needed to learn and utilise a whole new set of skills. After taking three courses at the Australian Writers’ Centre, doing hundreds of interviews, writing thousands of words, and doing many rewrites, her debut China Blonde is out now with Brio Books.
“Without doing those courses, I really don’t think I would have had the knowledge or know-how to start a book properly, let alone finish a book,” Nicole says.

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Alumni/Student success stories
Australian Writers’ Centre Team

The turning point that led to James Antoniou becoming a published picture book author

Courses taken at AWC:
Writing Picture Books
James Antoniou was in the middle of a haphazard gap year when he decided to enrol in Writing Picture Books at the Australian Writers’ Centre. He had always wanted to be a published author, had studied English at Oxford, and was ready to launch his writing career. But it was the course at the AWC that gave James the practical tools he needed to finish his manuscript. 

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Alumni/Student success stories
Australian Writers’ Centre Team

Danielle Norton’s journey from teacher to travel and food writer

Danielle Norton was half way through the AWC’s Food Writing course when she managed to sell her first two recipes to an online magazine. Not bad for a former school teacher who, by her own admission, was naive about the media industry. Now a veteran of six AWC courses, Danielle is an established freelance writer and copywriter, and she is sought after by editors for her travel and parenting articles.

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Crime fiction author and Australian Writers' Centre alumna Dinuka McKenzie smiling in floral shirt
Alumni/Student success stories
Australian Writers’ Centre Team

Congrats to AWC alumna Dinuka McKenzie – winner of The 2020 Banjo Prize!

HarperCollins Australia has announced their winner of The 2020 Banjo Prize and we are thrilled it’s Dinuka McKenzie, one of our talented alumni! Dinuka took out the major prize for her manuscript Flood Debris (released in 2022 as The Torrent), winning a publishing contract with HarperCollins and a $15,000 advance.

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Alumni/Student success stories
Australian Writers’ Centre Team

Congrats to the AWC alumni shortlisted for the 2020 Banjo Prize

HarperCollins Australia has released the shortlist for the 2020 Banjo Prize and we’re so proud that all four are from the Australian Writers’ Centre community. The 2020 Banjo Prize shortlist: The List by Megan Albany The Tuesday Afternoon Murder Club by Karli Florisson Roses of Budapest by Rachael Keene Flood

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Alumni/Student success stories
Australian Writers’ Centre Team

Sonya Bates: Speech pathologist finds license to thrill with debut novel

Sonya Bates was a speech pathologist who dabbled in writing on the side. But when she had the idea for her thriller Inheritance of Secrets, she knew it was time to take her writing seriously. She signed up for the Anatomy of a Crime: How to Write About Murder course at the Australian Writers’ Centre to get the skills and confidence she needed.

Sonya is now proud to call herself an author with her debut adult novel, Inheritance of Secrets, out now through HarperCollins.

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Alumni/Student success stories
Australian Writers’ Centre Team

How Felicity McVay reignited her creative passion to become a published picture book author

Sitting in darkness feeding her newborn daughter each night, Felicity McVay began to dream up the character of a boy who loves to burp. After taking two courses at the Australian Writers’ Centre – Writing Picture Books and Creative Writing Stage 1 – Felicity is now a published author, with her picture book The Boy Who Burped released by New Holland Publishers. “I feel a great thrill when I tell people that I’m a writer,” Felicity says. “The courses at AWC gave me a sense of legitimacy.”

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Alumni/Student success stories
Australian Writers’ Centre Team

Australian Writers’ Centre alumnae shortlisted for 2020 Text Prize

The shortlist for the 2020 Text Prize has been announced – and we’re delighted to see two Australian Writers’ Centre alumnae among them!  Miranda Luby, who completed our How to Write for Children and Young Adults course, and Lauren Draper, who has taken a creative writing course, have both been

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Alumni/Student success stories
Australian Writers’ Centre Team

Victoria Mackinlay achieves her childhood dream to become a published author

When she was a child, Victoria Mackinlay assumed she would grow up to be an author. And now, with the release of her picture book Ribbit Rabbit Robot and more on the way, Victoria’s dream has come true. To top it off, Victoria has won the State Library of NSW Award for Emerging Children’s Author.

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Alumni/Student success stories
Australian Writers’ Centre Team

Stef Gemmill’s debut picture book finds a home

Stef Gemmill used the few minutes she had each morning before her family woke up to work on her creative writing. With a background in music journalism, Stef was no slouch at writing, but knew that she needed guidance to really hone her picture book manuscripts. After signing up for the Australian Writers’ Centre’s Writing Picture Books course, Stef got the valuable feedback she was looking for. Her first picture book, A Home for Luna, has now been published by New Frontier Publishing and it won the 2020 International Rubery Book Award (children’s category).

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Alumni/Student success stories
Australian Writers’ Centre Team

Therese Spruhan makes a splash with debut book ‘The Memory Pool’

Therese Spruhan loves swimming pools. After writing for her blog Swimming Pool Stories, she knew she wanted to create a book based on this theme. The result is The Memory Pool, a collection of 28 stories from a diverse range of Australians including Bryan Brown, Leah Purcell, Merrick Watts, Shane

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