This could be you | Australian Writers' Centre

From Furious Fiction to UQP: Seetha Dodd’s debut ‘Myra in the Middle’

Northern Beaches author Seetha Dodd’s debut junior-fiction novel Myra in the Middle is on bookshop shelves now with UQP – a warm, funny story about a seven-year-old soccer enthusiast and Maths buff whose world tilts sideways when her baby brother arrives. Illustrated by Peter Cheong, the book is Seetha’s love letter to grandmothers, soccer, Indian […]

From illustrator to published author: Andrea Innocent’s ‘Lamington Left Behind’

Andrea Innocent has spent years bringing other people’s stories to life on the page – but the story that wouldn’t leave her alone was her own. Her debut middle-grade graphic novel, Lamington Left Behind, has been published by Hardie Grant. Its journey from haunting idea to 304 illustrated pages was shaped, in part, by the […]

Judith Katherine’s path from AWC courses to a debut novel with Affirm Press

When Sydney-based Judith Stewart – writing as Judith Katherine – first signed up to Creative Writing Stage 1 at the Australian Writers’ Centre, she was a mum with three kids, no writing practice to speak of, and a growing suspicion that “I would get round to writing one day” was getting a little tired as […]

Anna Johnston’s two-book deal bears fruit

Anna Johnston started telling stories at a young age, writing plays and short films for her parents as a child. But she left her storytelling passion behind when she went into healthcare and started her family. A course at the Australian Writers’ Centre changed that, reigniting her love of creative writing, and Anna is now celebrating the publication of her debut novel The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife, in a two-book deal with Penguin Random House.

Sarah Clutton’s remarkable double act

The words ‘two-book deal’ are some of the sweetest an author can hear. And for author Sarah Clutton, securing such a deal with Allen & Unwin was just another success on her path from full-time lawyer to full-time writer. The first book in this deal was her novel The Remarkable Truths of Alfie Bains, released […]

Camille Booker’s joyful journey to successful author

Camille Booker had never allowed herself to imagine being a ‘real’ author one day – but faced with new motherhood and a demanding teaching job, she started to dream of the possibility. “I’d always loved reading, language, words, poetry,” she says. “Writing was my creative outlet: a way to avoid burn out, to escape the […]

Gwen Wilson: the reluctant retiree publishes her first memoir

Back in 2005, around the same time as the Australian Writers’ Centre was first opening its doors, Gwen Wilson, then 50, was making the first scribblings for what would become her debut memoir, I Belong to No One. “I can trace its beginning to 2005, and it evolved through numerous stops and starts,” recalls Gwen. […]

Wendy Rudge gave up cakes to write a book that could save lives

Wendy Rudge used to stand in the children’s section of her local library, running her hand along the spines of picture books, imagining what her own might look like shelved beside them. Now Ruby’s Perfect Fire Safety Plan, her debut picture book published by Wild Dog Books, is right there among them. For Wendy – […]

Picture book author Sarah Speedie goes from strength to strength

Sarah Speedie was a full-time stay-at-home mum and, when her children reached an age where she could carve out time for herself she chose to embark on a new journey – one that would reignite her passion for learning and storytelling. Sarah enrolled in the Writing Picture Books course at the Australian Writers’ Centre.

Katie Hoskins: Turning a dream into a two-book deal

When Sydney writer Katie Hoskins took Creative Writing Stage 1 with the Australian Writers’ Centre, she discovered the confidence and structure she needed to write her debut novel. Her commercial fiction When the Party’s Over will be published by Pan Macmillan in March 2026.