Anne Farrell’s journey from marketer and copywriter to published author is proof that it’s never too late to follow a long-held dream. After completing more than a dozen courses at the Australian Writers’ Centre, Anne has signed a three-book deal for The Rakali Trilogy, with the first junior fiction title
When television producer Amy Hutton decided she wanted to switch careers and become a writer, she went all in. After making such a decisive move, Amy knew she had to learn the craft of writing if she were to succeed. She liked the variety of courses on offer at the Australian Writers’ Centre and she jumped in, learning the essentials of Fiction and Grammar, Plotting and Planning and how to Pitch Your Novel.
Tasmanian author and Australian Writers’ Centre graduate Rhonda McCoy has published her debut novel Crow, a rural family saga set in the central highlands of Tasmania. Rhonda’s path to publication began after she retired from a long career in health, managing hospitals and aged-care facilities. Following her husband’s cancer diagnosis,
The word ‘persistence’ is often thrown about in the world of publishing. And Alex Dook is a perfect example of it paying off – with a little help from the Australian Writers’ Centre! Alex’s journey to publication was a long one – the culmination of years of learning from the
Engineer-turned-maths teacher Charlotte Barkla never imagined she’d become a published writer – but three children’s books later, she’s thrilled to have rediscovered her passion.
Megan White is fast becoming a force in the world of fantasy – with her latest 2025 release of The Anatomy of Gods following hot on the heels of her breakout debut novel The Anatomy of Songs, both through New Dawn Publishing. Yet just a few short years ago, she
For best friends Viktoriya Butler and Steven Reynolds – who write together under the pen name Mette Menzies – a love of storytelling has turned into an extraordinary partnership. These pals are now co-authors of their debut novel, The Watervale Ladies’ Writing and Firefighting Society, published by HarperCollins. For Viktoriya,
Any author will tell you that inspiration can strike anywhere. And in the case of Jemima Shafei-Ongu, that ‘anywhere’ was during a weekend writing competition. The competition was Furious Fiction – a monthly 500-word story challenge created by the Australian Writers’ Centre. And while her story didn’t win the top prize, it would go on to become her latest picture book, A Lemon for Safiya, published in 2025 through Hachette.
Shelly Unwin was a stay-at-home mum with a young family when she decided to take the leap of faith and try her hand at writing picture books. “I was reading to my daughter one night and suddenly I knew 100% that was what I wanted to do,” recalls Shelly.
“I’d wanted to tell the story since I was eleven years old and even then I knew that I needed to wait until I was a better writer to do this story justice,” Alli told us. Although she had been writing for film and television for several years, she knew that she needed different skills to write Cherry’s story as a novel. That’s when she turned to the Australian Writers’ Centre.
Having worked for years in the visual effects and animation industry, Richard Pritchard knew a lot about storytelling. But when he wanted to write a middle grade novel, he felt that he needed solid guidance, so he turned to the Australian Writers’ Centre.
When Holly Brunnbauer decided to write a book, she turned to the Australian Writers’ Centre. And the result is her debut novel, ‘What Did I Miss?’
Australian Writers’ Centre graduate Jess Horn turned her love of wordplay and imagination into two published picture books. Discover how our Writing Picture Books course gave her the skills and confidence to bring Train of Thought to life.
Karen Wasson changed careers to write for kids, and as a graduate of the Australian Writers’ Centre has found success with her graphic novel and picture book.
Emma Pei Yin has always loved stories, and she was constantly creating characters and worlds in her head. When she went looking for those stories on bookshelves, however, she discovered that there were hardly any Asian voices being published. So she decided to write her own – and the result is her debut novel, When Sleeping Women Wake – releasing in 2025 in Australia through publishers Hachette, in the UK via Quercus Books, and in the US through Ballantine.
When Ali (on the right above) gave up her job in advertising at the age of 24 to travel the world, little did she realise it would culminate in an innovative career built around books and a two-book deal with Simon and Schuster Australia and The Book Ninja (Ali Berg & Michelle Kalus, 2018) in bookstores around the world. Ali and Michelle’s second novel, While You Were Reading followed in 2019, and their latest book Fancy Meeting You Here launched with rave reviews.
They say, ‘write what you know’. And for Kasey Whitelaw, a marine biologist with a passion for ocean education, there was probably only ever going to be one subject top of mind. In fact, it was during her day job that she identified an opportunity that has seen her now
Miranda Luby was a confident copywriter in her professional career – but her dream of writing a novel remained elusive until she plunged into our writing courses. We were thrilled to hear that Miranda’s debut novel Sadie Starr’s Guide to Starting Over has now been published by Text Publishing, so we chatted with the newly minted author of this wonderful young adult book to get all the juicy details about her writing life and success.
Plenty of authors have day jobs – in fact it’s more common than not, such is the nature of the business. For Dr. Jo Skinner, she is adamant not to let her medical career stifle her writing. In fact, it has actually become a source of inspiration. “I always say
One new year’s day, Susannah Hardy made a decision that would change the rest of her life. She decided she wanted to earn money from writing. Already working as an actor, Susannah then enrolled in a course at the Australian Writers’ Centre. That set her on a path where she now has dual careers – as an actor, as well as a successful freelance writer, published in Australia’s top magazines and newspapers.
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