This could be you | Australian Writers' Centre

AWC graduate Natalie Murray’s path from journalist to successful romance author

The moment journalist Natalie Murray started writing short romance stories, she fell in love! Having discovered her new passion for writing fiction, Natalie decided to write a novel – but first she needed to learn the basics.

Shannon Kelly-White’s secret dream became her debut novel ‘Billie King’

Shannon Kelly-White had a secret dream – she wanted to write fiction. That dream is now a reality and you’ll see it in bookstores: Billie King, her debut novel has now been published by HarperCollins Australia. It all started with a course at the Australian Writers’ Centre. Creative Writing Stage 1, taken at what Shannon […]

How Bethany Loveridge wrote the book of her childhood dreams

When Bethany Loveridge set out to write a junior-fiction series, she was convinced there was an “art and science” to writing for children – and that if she cracked it, she’d finally be signing those author agreements. She was right. Her debut, Josie Mack and the MEGA Division, is the first in an illustrated junior-fiction […]

How Emma Warrender went from first draft to a multi-publisher bidding situation

When Emma Warrender started writing her debut novel, she knew she wanted to do everything possible to give it the best chance of being published. So she enrolled in the Australian Writers’ Centre’s Creative Writing Stage 1 course to build her craft – and to find her people. That investment paid off in spectacular fashion. […]

How John Stanton’s stories for his kids turned into his debut novel

It started as a comic strip drawn on a scrap of paper at the kitchen table for two daughters who wanted bedtime stories. Two decades later, John Stanton’s middle-grade novel The Adventures of Squidape is being published by Riveted Press, with more than 20 of John’s own watercolour illustrations woven through the chapters – including […]

AWC graduate Melissa Garside builds on her children’s book publishing success

Melissa Garside always dreamed of becoming a published author, and her children’s novel, Lexie Moon & The Word Burgling Bungle, is out now with Riveted Press!

How teacher and mum Nicole Kelly went from Creative Writing Stage 1 to two published novels

Nicole Kelly was working as a teacher in Ballarat, Victoria, and had just become a mum when she first enrolled in the Australian Writers’ Centre’s Creative Writing Stage 1 course. She wanted to stay on track with her writing and invest in building her craft. Since then, Nicole has gone on to publish two novels: […]

How Inessa Jackson went from stay-at-home mum to published crime novelist with Simon & Schuster

When Inessa Jackson left her career as PR Manager at eBay to be a stay-at-home mum, she was looking for a creative outlet – something to keep her brain active. She wondered if she had it in her to write a story. Starting with Creative Writing Stage 1 at the Australian Writers’ Centre, Inessa went […]

How Penelope Janu built a bestselling romance fiction career

It’s never too late to become an author – and you need only look to bestselling author Penelope Janu – now one of Australia’s beloved romance authors – for proof of this. A decade or so ago, Penelope had the grand sum of zero published books to her name – but she did have a […]

Reece Carter’s spooky success as a full-time children’s novelist

“I enrolled in Writing Middle Grade Fiction and became a much better writer for it,” Reece told us. “I took everything I’d learned and wrote a fourth manuscript, A Girl Called Corpse, and the rest is history!”