Sarah Hawthorn on Writing a Thriller

Born and raised in the UK, Sarah lived in London, Dallas, Toronto, New York and Sydney before moving to Bundanoon, an Australian village in NSW’s beautiful Southern Highlands. Her career, which evolved from actress to journalist and then publicist before becoming a fulltime novelist, gives her plenty of inspiration. A Voice In The Night, her debut novel, was published July 2021. Continue reading Sarah Hawthorn on Writing a Thriller

Lisa Darcy on Writing, Flowers and Inspiration

A trained journalist, when Lisa had three children under five, she turned to writing women’s fiction. Her characters navigate friendships, careers, romance, and ultimately triumph over adversity. Now an accomplished author, she also teaches creative writing at the Australian Writers’ Centre in Sydney. She has just published her seventh novel, Lily’s Little Flower Shop, a fish-out-of-water coastal romance. Continue reading Lisa Darcy on Writing, Flowers and Inspiration

Amanda Niehaus on the Intersection Between Science and Art

Amanda has a PhD in biology; she’s also a literary novelist. The Breeding Season, her debut novel was short-listed for The Courier-Mail People’s Choice Queensland Book of the Year Award, and she’s been awarded a Queensland Writers Fellowship for her next novel, Relativity. Please join us for a chat about her transition from science to writing. Continue reading Amanda Niehaus on the Intersection Between Science and Art

Yasmin A. McClinton on Being a Sensitivity Reader

Yasmin is a talented editor, writer and English teacher who recently won the Sisters in Crime Eleanor Taylor Bland award for her unpublished novel. One of her areas of expertise is sensitivity reading, a field of growing importance as authors become more aware of their responsibilities when they write minority characters. Join us for a discussion about appropriation, agency and author intent. Continue reading Yasmin A. McClinton on Being a Sensitivity Reader

Nicole Webb From Newsreader to Author

Journalist Nicole Webb worked her way up to become a newsreader at Sky News Australia, but then gave it all up on a whim to move overseas. After six years in Hong Kong and then Xi’an, China, she returned to Sydney a different person and completed her memoir, China Blonde. Read on for more about the transformative nature of her expat life and writing journey. Continue reading Nicole Webb From Newsreader to Author