This could be you

Angie Cui maps a unique journey into picture books

Angie Cui’s road to becoming a published children’s book author is a story of unexpected turns, persistence, and creative discovery.  “I was a new mum juggling family life and work when I decided to take one of your courses,” Angie shares. Initially aspiring to be a journalist, she found herself drawn to writing through a […]

Petronella McGovern’s fiction writing origins

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.

At 71, DJ Taylor made her debut with ‘Anna’s War’

Di Taylor never set out to become a novelist. She simply wanted to find out whether she could write a book. The answer turned out to be Anna’s War (Riveted Press), a young adult historical novel published under her pen name, DJ Taylor – and her debut at the age of 71! Before the book […]

Sharna Carter builds on her picture book success

Completing the Writing Picture Books course from the Australian Writers’ Centre, graduate Sharna Carter found success with her latest book ‘I Dreamed of You’.

Jemima Parker – on becoming a children’s author

The only thing that Jemima Parker regrets about the Writing Picture Books course is not doing it sooner! With a varied career that spanned law, communications and visual arts, Jemima knew she wanted to take a writing course ‘one day’. But it wasn’t until she was knee-deep in wedding decorations that she finally made the commitment to herself.

Susannah Glenn’s reinvention to become an author

When Susannah Glenn faced the triple turmoil of an empty nest, job redundancy and a new relationship, she chose an unexpected way to cope – she decided to finally pursue her dreams of becoming a published novelist. “My earliest memories were of reading and writing and dreaming of becoming a full-time writer. Instead, I became […]

Anne Freeman wrote her first novel on her phone – and became a three-book author

Anne Freeman wrote her first novel on her phone, in the Google Docs app, while nursing her baby. Several awards later, she’s a three-book author with the independent press Hawkeye Publishing, and her latest novel is The Time After Now. By the time Anne enrolled in AWC’s Dare to Dream course, she already had novels […]

Ariane Beeston’s life-changing memoir – and beyond

Having a baby is a life-changing experience, and for Ariane Beeston, profoundly so. She experienced postpartum psychosis, a rare and debilitating mental illness – and 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 […]

Michelle Stephens and her thriller ‘The Crack’

Michelle Stephens spent two decades as an architect before she let herself chase the dream she has had since childhood: writing a book. That dream now her debut mystery thriller, The Crack, is set for release with Allen & Unwin in January 2027. Her way into all of this was a single AWC course, taken […]