Cara King is a Melbourne-based illustrator and graphic designer. She has illustrated around 10 books since 2016, published both traditionally and for self-publishing authors. Cara enjoys painting in watercolour, scribbling with pencils and dabbles in a bit of digital art too. She has a love of Continue reading Cara King →

Emily Brewin is a Melbourne author, copywriter, and learning designer. Her first novel, Hello, Goodbye, was published in 2017 and her second, Small Blessings, in 2019. A Way Home is her first YA novel. Her short stories have appeared in anthologies: Into Your Arms: Nick Cave’s Songs Reimagined by Fremantle Press, We’ll Stand In That Place and Other Stories by Margaret River Press and the Bristol Short Story Anthology — Volume 10. She has written for The Age, ABC Education, Continue reading Emily Brewin →

Allen C. Jones is an award-winning writer from California. He received an MFA in poetry from the University of New Mexico and a PhD in English from University of Louisiana. He has lived and taught in Spain, Mexico, Korea & China, and presently serves as associate professor of literature and culture at the University of Stavanger, Norway. His scholarly work investigates experimental writing and literary game pedagogy.

His debut novel Her Death Was Also Water came out in 2022 with MidnightSun Publishing, and his debut book of poetry, Son of a Cult, is out in 2023 with Kelsay Books, USA. His writing appears widely in print and online. Find links to it Continue reading Allen C. Jones →

Gillian Hagenus is a writer, editor and book devourer living and working on Kaurna land in South Australia. Her short fiction has appeared in various journals across Australia, including Voiceworks, SWAMP, Social Alternatives and Aniko Press, and internationally in The Antigonish Review. She has a Masters degree in Creative Writing from the University of Adelaide, where her thesis focused on Australian Suburban Gothic fiction. In 2022, her unpublished short story collection was the winner of the AAWP/UWA Publishing Chapter One Prize. In her free time, Gillian helps Continue reading Gillian Hagenus →

Lauren Foley is a Next Generation Artist in Literature with the Arts Council of Ireland. Her work is published by Influx Press, gorse, Head of Zeus, The Los Angeles Review, No Alibis, The Irish Times and Overland and has been shortlisted for The Barbellion Prize and The Irish Book Awards.
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Melanie Kanicky is a Melbourne-based author. Born in the Yarra Valley, Melanie has a Bachelor of Creative Arts (Film & Television) from Deakin University, and is currently completing her Master’s Degree in Writing & Literature with a focus on creative writing. Outside of her studies, Melanie currently manages a bookstore, where she delights in sharing her love of reading and literature with others. Her short fiction has appeared in the Wyndham Writing Awards Anthology and the Forty South Short Story Anthology, as well as being shortlisted for the Continue reading Melanie Kanicky →

Charlie Archbold is a writer and educator. She has worked in Australia, the UK, and in Indonesia. Her middle grade novel The Sugarcane Kids and the Red Bottomed Boat won the 2022 Readings Children’s Prize. It was shortlisted for the Text Prize and was a 2023 CBCA Notable book. Charlie’s debut YA novel Mallee Boys was a 2018 CBCA Honour book. Her 2020 YA novel Indigo Owl is a science fiction adventure. Raised by Moths is Charlie’s first picture book. Her blogs, short stories and poems are about Continue reading Charlie Archbold →

Michelle Conn is a children’s book illustrator and author who lives in the coastal town of Torquay, Victoria. She combines watercolour and pencil with digital illustration to create worlds filled with wonder and emotion. Michelle has a Bachelor of Design from The College of Fine Arts in Sydney and has worked as a graphic designer in print and corporate illustration. She has also completed a Continue reading Michelle Conn →

Tanya Hunter’s love of adventure stories began as a child living in Nottingham, England, when she regularly explored the same countryside as the fabled Robin Hood. A former primary school teacher, Tanya has been a police officer for nearly twenty-five years. She is also a proud ambassador for Multiple Sclerosis QLD and has a passion for disability advocacy.

Tanya’s debut novel is The Quest for the Galleon of Time.

Julie Thorndyke is a graduate of the University of Sydney Master of Creative Writing program, Sydney writer Julie Thorndyke’s two collections of tanka poetry, Rick Rack and Carving Granite, were published by Ginninderra Press. Editor of Eucalypt: a tanka journal since 2017, Julie also writes fiction and other poetry forms. Her debut novel for adults, Continue reading Julie Thorndyke →

Nean McKenzie is a children’s writer and optometrist who lives in western Melbourne. Originally from Bendigo, Nean lived in New Zealand, Europe and North East Africa before returning to Victoria. She lives with her family and a cat called Lemonade who purrs, even when nervous.

Nean has had three middle-grade novels out with MidnightSun Publishing: Cryptosight (2019), Xenoflight (2022) and Timefire (2023). She was awarded a Maurice Saxby mentorship in 2016, a fellowship for the KSP Writers Centre for 2023 and has a diploma in Professional Writing and Editing from RMIT. Continue reading Nean McKenzie →

Jennifer Mackenzie Dunbar writes novels and short stories drawing on her love of history, music and mythology to explore the stories left untold in conventional historical accounts. Her short story The Man Who Rowed Away was published in the anthology Crush: stories about love (MidnightSun Publishing, 2017) and she self-published her debut novel Vivaldi’s Lost Concert in 2019.

Her previous work as a social worker provides her with a rich source of material to develop her colourful and complex characters and compelling plots. Her travels have taken her to beautiful and enchanting places, including Continue reading Jennifer Mackenzie Dunbar →

Kaye Baillie is a writer of fiction and non-fiction children’s picture books.

Kaye began writing stories and making books during the long, hot summer holidays on the orchard where she grew up in Victoria. With her sister, she sat at the kitchen table coming up with ideas and adding her own (not very good) illustrations. Now she writes stories at her kitchen table near the beach, where she lives with her family and their high-maintenance pets. Kaye has a strong interest in researching and writing stories about unique individuals and events.

Kaye has a Diploma in Professional Writing and Editing. In 2022 her book When The Waterhole Dries Up was shortlisted in the Children’s Book Council of Australia Awards and many of her picture books have won or Continue reading Kaye Baillie →

Luisa Gioffre-Suzuki is a professional illustrator, artist and teacher based in Victoria. After spending over a decade in Japan, her personal style has developed with influences from vibrant Japanese culture and is underpinned by her Fine Art training and love of color. Luisa uses a variety of mixed media including inks, watercolor, acrylic, pastel, pen and pencil to create her colorful imagery. She has illustrated Continue reading Luisa Gioffre-Suzuki →

Zena Shapter is a multi-award-winning author, high school English tutor and youth writing competition judge. Before writing When Dark Waters Burn, she interviewed scores of teenagers about what they wanted to read, and their concerns for the future. She was fascinated to learn they sought escapist stories that authentically represented their feelings of being unheard, fears about sustainability, threat of war, job instability… and Australian property prices! Continue reading Zena Shapter →