About

Brightside Story Studio works with writers of fiction or memoir. We love working closely with our clients to achieve their writing goals and help their stories take flight.

Andrea Barton, Founder

Andrea is the award-winning author of the Jade Riley Mysteries. The Godfather of Dance and A Killer Among Friends are out now, more to follow. Besides running Brightside Story Studio, she is the Vice President of Mansfield Readers and Writers.

Her short stories have appeared in various anthologies, and she has published two picture books, the Sam and Sue Adventure Series, illustrated by Whitney Van Nuis. With Gail Collins, she edited and contributed to two anthologies about expat adventures: Nigerian Gems and Papua New Guinea Pearls. Eight of her stage shows have been performed in Lagos, Nigeria, and two at Woodlands Preparatory School in Houston, Texas.

An electrical engineer turned career consultant, Andrea spent 12 years enjoying the exhilaration and dislocation of expat life. With her husband and two children, she lived in Nigeria, USA and Qatar before repatriating to Australia, where she commutes between Melbourne and Mansfield. Along the way, she developed a passion for ballroom and Latin dance, helped to build a school, got bogged in both the Doha and Australian deserts, and had an accidental hallucinogenic experience in Peru.

She is a member of the Institute of Professional Editors, the Australian Society of Authors, Writers Victoria, Queensland Writers Centre, Sisters in Crime and Australian Crime Writers.

Sarah Hawthorn, Editor

Sarah Hawthorn is a former journalist and magazine editor who now writes and edits fiction full-time.

She is the author of psychological thriller, A Voice In The Night: ‘A sexy, seductive slow burn of psychological suspense’ – Readings Monthly; The Dilemma, which was shortlisted for 2019 Grindstone Novel of the Year Award; Love. Camera. Action., a delightful romcom; and more is on the way.

See her interviews: Sarah Hawthorn on Writing a Thriller, Sarah Hawthorn on The Dilemma, and Sarah Hawthorn on Love. Camera. Action.

Sophia Voukelatos, Beta Reader

Sophia is a Master of Publishing and Communications student at the University of Melbourne. She is an avid reader of fiction and non-fiction, who has a passion for supporting authors to create quality, innovative work. As well as volunteering with Writers Victoria and Melbourne Writers Festival, Sophia has worked as a sub-editor for the University of Melbourne’s student magazine, Farrago. She also works as a beta reader.

Tong (Firmiana) Wu, Graphic Designer

Tong is an accomplished freelance Graphic Designer, who can translate a company’s vision into a suite of useful graphics, including logos, letterheads, signage and other business-specific materials. She’s also proficient in film-making, editing and animation. For Brightside, besides creating our gorgeous logo, she works on cover design, book layout and illustration.