Meet Mary Anastasiou, picture book author and managing editor at Five Mile press, as well as a former creative director at Larrikin House. Mary shares her journey from aspiring writer to influential figure in the children's book industry, highlighting the challenges and rewards of publishing picture books. She discusses the importance of illustrator-author dynamics, how to successfully submit manuscripts, and offers invaluable advice to aspiring authors and illustrators. Additionally, the episode includes insights into the process of creating picture books, from conception to finished product ..read more

This week, we’re giving away three copies of The Murder Inn by James Patterson and Candice Fox, co-authors of the Detective Harriet Blue series. James Patterson is an award-winning author who has also co-authored bestselling novels with Bill Clinton and Dolly Parton. Candice Fox is an accomplished crime fiction author and teaches Anatomy of a Crime: How to Write About Murder at AWC. You can meet her on episodes 471, 398 and 48 of our podcast. Here’s the blurb: It's the perfect getaway. But the past will always find you . . . When ex-cop Bill Robinson takes over The Inn by the Sea, all he ..read more

Greg Baker knows more than most about AI and where it's headed. As an AI futurist and lecturer in Computational Linguistics at Macquarie University, Greg educates students on the intricacies of Artificial Intelligence for Text and Vision, and blends his theoretical insights with practical applications. He helps the C-suite understand the future of labour, how to maximise AI productivity gains and how to gain a deep technical understanding of what is possible. He is a director at the Institute for Open Systems Technologies and has worked at Google and CSIRO and is a leading voice in how to unde ..read more

Each week here at the Australian Writers’ Centre, we dissect and discuss, contort and retort, ask and gasp at the English language and all its rules, regulations and ridiculousness. It’s a celebration of language, masquerading as a passive-aggressive whinge about words and weirdness. This week, the worry of wary and weary is… Q: Hi AWC, what’s the difference between “weary” and “wary”? A: Well, it’s the– Q: Do NOT say the letter E! A: … Q: You WERE going to say it, weren’t you? A: Not at all. Ahem. The…er… difference is that one makes you tired and the other makes you suspicious. Q: I’m always ..read more

Larissa Ferenchuk had had story ideas swirling around her head for some time, but wasn’t sure how to get them into a picture book. So she enrolled in Writing Picture Books at the Australian Writers' Centre to give herself a creative outlet – and hopefully learn to write down some of those stories. “Every week, as the new course units were released, I discovered insights and information that I never knew about picture book writing,” Larissa told us. During the course, Larissa wrote a story and developed it into a picture book manuscript called Two Rabbits. Just a few months after completing her ..read more

Meet author Kell Woods, who discusses her approach to writing, her novel After the Forest, a sequel to Hansel and Gretel, and the blend of history and fantasy in her work. Kell shares insights on the research and discipline required to weave together historical accuracy and compelling storytelling. You can listen to the episode below, on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or add the podcast RSS feed manually to your favourite podcast app.   00:00 Welcome 03:19 Nat Newman’s Writing Tip: Paragraphs in Fiction 06:36 WIN: The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton 08:41 Word ..read more

This week, we’re giving away three copies of The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton, author of The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. The story transports you into an enthralling mystery set amidst a post-apocalyptic society. On an island, the quest for survival rests on unravelling a murder to avoid the same deadly outcome that destroyed the rest of civilisation. Here’s the blurb: Solve the murder to save what's left of the world. Outside the island there is nothing: the world destroyed by a fog that swept the planet, killing anyone it touched. On the island: it is idyllic ..read more

Each week here at the Australian Writers’ Centre, we dissect and discuss, contort and retort, ask and gasp at the English language and all its rules, regulations and ridiculousness. It’s a celebration of language, masquerading as a passive-aggressive whinge about words and weirdness. This week, the naked eye is… Q: Hi AWC, I have a question about eyes. A: You probably should see an optometrist, not an etymologist. Q: No, it’s about the names we give for the parts of the eyes. I’m always getting confused about which is what and what they all do. Can you help? A: Eye eye, captain! Q: Not your be ..read more

Meet Carrie Sun, whose memoir Private Equity explores her journey from a high-paced finance role to embracing a writing career. Carrie discusses her writing process, the challenges of memoir writing, and the transformation she underwent during her time in the finance industry. You can listen to the episode below, on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or add the podcast RSS feed manually to your favourite podcast app.   00:00 Welcome to the world of writing and publishing 00:Tackling procrastination and achieving goals 03:24 Unlocking the secrets of effective writing: Courses and ..read more

Laura Holloway was on maternity leave from full time work and, although busy with her baby, found she had extra mental space to explore her dreams of writing. “I’d always loved reading and had lots of story ideas, but had never found the time or mental space to take writing seriously while working full time. Although looking after a baby is tiring in its own way, it gave me more time and space to daydream and play.” Although she had lots of ideas, Laura knew she needed knowledge and structure if she wanted to see any of her stories in print one day. She enrolled in Writing Picture Books and Re ..read more