This could be you | Australian Writers' Centre

Zookeeper Tina Strachan’s wild publishing success

For former zookeeper Tina Strachan, writing had long been a passion, but she never imagined she would ever see her own work published ‘in the wild’. It would take a writing competition to reignite the spark and set her on track to telling stories that drew heavily from her own life and career. And now […]

Sarah Bailey: six books and counting

AWC alumna Sarah Bailey’s star continues to rise in the world of publishing. Sarah burst onto the literary scene with her novel The Dark Lake. The thriller was a bestseller around the world and Sarah’s suspenseful police procedural set in country Victoria earned her comparisons with authors such as Gillian Flynn and Paula Hawkins. The […]

How Leearna Shaw rewrote her manuscript and landed a two-book deal

Leearna Shaw had written three manuscripts. She’d been writing, editing and querying in the gaps between work and raising a family, but despite getting tantalisingly close, the rejections kept coming. Determined to find the missing piece, she enrolled in the Australian Writers’ Centre’s Romance Writing course – and it changed everything. After completing the course, […]

AWC graduate Deborah Frenkel is now a successful picture book author

Deborah Frenkel reignited her long-held dream of becoming an author when she became immersed in the world of picture books after the birth of her daughter. Throw in frequent long walks and she soon started to simmer with stories of her own. Knowing she needed some direction to get her stories on to the page, […]

Craig Sheather hits new heights with more picture book success

Craig Sheather is a freelance writer and journalist specialising in the great outdoors. But when travel restrictions limited his writing opportunities, he decided to reinvent himself – taking the Reinvent Yourself course at the Australian Writers’ Centre. Feeling inspired, he went on to do two courses for writing for kids: Writing Picture Books and Laugh […]

From dream to debut – Sam Elliott lands a two-book deal

Sam Elliott always dreamt of becoming an author. And now that dream has become reality thanks to the release of his debut novel, Haze. However, it wasn’t long ago that he almost gave up on his dream. “I’d gotten to a point where I’d accepted, in my heart of hearts, that I might not get […]

Rebecca Grant: from physiotherapist to picture book author

“I knew I needed to improve my writing skills, so I decided to bite the bullet and register for the Writing Picture Books course. I completed the modules and assignments in pockets of free time around my kids and job, and it sparked the desire to dive even deeper into the kid lit world. The more I learnt, the more I realised how little I knew!” Rebecca told us.

How Rory H. Mather turned his writing dreams into reality

Children’s author Rory H. Mather’s career continues to soar with Brunocorn: Treasure Trouble from Scholastic Australia. Discover how AWC courses gave him the skills and confidence to expand from picture books into chapter books.

From law to writing – how Leonie built a new creative life

Leonie Jarrett went from running a legal firm to becoming a widely published travel writer – proof that it’s never too late to follow a creative path you’ve been dreaming about. After selling her legal practice and stepping away from full-time law, Leonie found herself at a turning point. Her four children had finished school […]

David Hall on his powerful memoir ‘Superbeast’

David Hall shares the extraordinary story behind his memoir Superbeast – a raw account of loss, resilience, and life at full throttle. From a life-altering accident at sixteen to global success on the wheelchair tennis circuit, David reflects on how sport gave him purpose, identity, and a way back into the world. He also talks […]