Children's Author
Ashling Kwok lives in Sydney’s North Shore, a magical place with lush green landscapes, beautiful flowers, and kookaburras that wake her up every morning at the crack of dawn.
Ashling has been writing books for as long as she can remember. She feels there’s nothing more satisfying than finding the right combination of words to bring my ideas to life. She spends her days dreaming up new ideas, working on my latest manuscripts, and browsing local bookstores, marvelling at all the wonderful books created by talented children’s authors.
After graduating from University, Ashling went on to become a journalist and magazine editor, before setting up her own freelance writing company. Over the years, Ashling’s work has appeared in a number of newspapers and magazines, and she is a regular contributor to a variety of online publications.
When she’s not writing you’ll find her taking her very energetic border collie, Jed, for a walk or hanging out with her husband and two children. Ashling also enjoys spending time with friends and making the most of every single moment.
Please follow Ashling at these links:
www.ashlingkwok.com.au
https://www.instagram.com/ashling_kwok/
https://www.facebook.com/ashlingkwokwriter
Shae Millward is the author of picture books A Boy and a Dog, Koalas Like To and The Rabbit’s Magician. Her short story, The Vampire Roses, is published in Spooktacular Stories: Thrilling Tales for Brave Kids.
Shae is an enthusiastic advocate for literacy. She aims to inspire through a love of books, the joy of reading and writing, and the art of storytelling. Shae enjoys writing picture books, poetry, song lyrics, inspirational quotes, short stories and more.
Some of our features include:
Australian Publishers listing
Writing Tips and Tips from authors Jackie French, Andy Griffiths, Mem Fox, Terry Denton and many more.
Competitions
Manuscript Assessment Service
Writer’s resources and tools
Book reviews
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Interviews
Members also enjoy access to our exclusive members only forum and online critique group. Here you can discuss your work in progress with your peers in a secure environment and receive valuable feedback to help with your writing.
Members receive:
An online profile complete with bio, photo, and samples of their writing or illustrations. You are welcome to submit as often as you like. Our site receives regular visits from children’s writing professionals and both local and overseas visitors.
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Janeen Brian has had an incredible career working with children, literature and the arts since the age of eighteen when she taught her first class of year five students. While raising a family, she began a four-year career with a professional children’s theatre company, both acting and writing. She has also been involved in over 100 television and radio commercials as well as dozens of voiceovers for radio and video Janeen began dabbling in writing in her thirties, and since then she has written over 100 books both in trade and education, and in genres ranging from picture books to poetry, short fiction, nonfiction and novels. Janeen is an award-winning author and poet and many of her books have been translated and published overseas.
Some of Janeen’s books include, Eloise and the Bucket of Stars, I’m a Dirty Dinosaur (series), Meet… Nellie Melba, Mrs Dog, This is Home: Essential Australian Poems for Children, Where Does Thursday Go?, Yong; the Journey of an Unworthy Son (adapted to stage), Look, Baby! and her latest release, The Fix-it Princess.
Janeen Brian is on Facebook at @JaneenBrianAuthor and Instagram at @janeen.brian.
Karen Hendriks is a former primary teacher turned children’s author who lives in a small seaside village in Shellharbour. Her favourite kind of books are picture books, because she adores how words and pictures join together to create story magic. Her stories are full of heart, and are also quirky, warm, funny and tender. Karen also writes junior fiction and middle grade stories and teaches writing to children. Her secret story partner is Elmo, a little Moodle who is always by her side.
Karen is a proud ambassador for Books in Homes; an organisation that helps give books to students in disadvantaged schools. Karen visits schools and believes stories help children create their own kind of wonderful for themselves.
Go Away, Foxy Foxy was released with Daisy Lane Publishing in August 2020, her picture book, Feathers, will be released in 2020 with Empowering Resources, and Home will be published with Daisy Lane Publishing in 2022.
Website: www.karenhendriks.com
Ellie Royce was born in Adelaide, South Australia and she’s been telling stories ever since.
Although she spent over ten years crafting nonfiction articles for magazines, she finally realised her real love was writing the stories for young people that blossom in her imagination. Ellie is the author of six books, five of which are for children.
Two middle grade novels “the Letterbooks” were published in 2008 with ABC Books. Her first picture book “Lucas and Jack” was published in 2014. “Auntie Uncle: Drag Queen Hero” Ellie’s second picture book came out in April 2020. “Frizzle and Me” is Ellie’s newest picture book, out in June 2021.
Ellie truly believes in the magic and power of stories to change the world for the better, so she writes and reads them all the time (quite often when she should be doing other things!). Recently she’s also added podcasting and indie publishing under the imprint We Are All Made of Stories to her life, because they’re such a great medium for sharing even more stories.
Ellie lives on Gumbanynggir Country in Northern New South Wales Australia and plans to keep writing, sharing and publishing visionary stories for kids and young adults forever.
Ellie released her first junior fiction chapter book in the Avery’s Hat-Tastic Adventures series; How Does a Hat Save the Day? in 2022.
Michelle Worthington is an international award-winning author and screen play writer. Two-time winner of the International Book Award and finalist in the USA Best Book Awards, Michelle also received a Gellett Burgess Award and a Silver Moonbeam Award for her contribution to celebrating diversity in literature. Michelle was the recipient of the 2018 AusMumpreneur Gold Award for Business Excellence and the winner of the 2018 Redlands BaR award for Best Start Up Business.
Michelle thrives as a coach to aspiring authors and illustrators all over the world, helping them to achieve their dreams of publication.
Michelle addresses mental health through literacy with her picture books, some of which include Super Nicholas, Noah Chases the Wind, My Brother Tom, Hootie the Cutie, Dino Love, and Each the Same, just to name a few. The first two titles in The Willing Kids Program series include The Wind and the Mouse, and The Mouse and the Egg, which are available both as animated videos and picture books. She is dedicated to encouraging a strong love of reading and writing in young children and conducts author visits at primary and special schools, libraries and bookstore storytelling and publishing workshops for adults.
She especially enjoys meeting people through her speaking engagements for women’s groups and charities.
Michelle is available for speaking engagements, book signings and school visits. Please contact at mworthington.author@gmail.com.
As Sandra loves to read great mysteries or adventures, it seemed only natural that her passion for writing would one day lead her to writing adventure mysteries too. Einstein is quoted as saying ‘Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.’ Through her stories Sandra hopes to build on children’s imagination to help take them on their journey to the future, wherever it may lead. With literacy and a little imagination, the possibilities are limitless.
Her desire to write continued to grow throughout her teaching career until one day when she decided it was time to leave the classroom and focus on writing full-time. Through her writing, Sandra hopes to help parents and teachers improve literacy in our children. She appreciates the struggle of teaching reading to reluctant readers and understands the importance of hooking children with reading from an early age. Sandra is devoted to writing stories that engage and entice readers with excitement, adventure, a bit of mystery and a whole lot of fun.
These days she enjoys invitations for classroom visits to read from her stories, discuss the writing process or run writing workshops. The rest of her days are spent dreaming up characters and plots for new stories while taking her dog for walks in the country around the area where she lives just outside of Canberra.
Sandra has independently published two picture books and two early readers, and has had seven short stories published across five anthologies, including the Share Your Story – Thrilling Tales for Brave Kids, and Tell ‘Em They’re Dreaming.
The Adamson Adventures is a series of three siblings exploring mysteries and culture in exotic and unusual places. These middle grade chapter books for ages 7 to 12 include Secrets Hidden Below, A Lighthouse in Time, and Fossil Frenzy.
Skye Hughes was born in Adelaide but spent much of her childhood travelling around Australia in a caravan with her three younger siblings and parents. She is a school teacher, youth program facilitator and big fan of Nutella donuts. Skye currently lives in Melbourne and when she isn’t writing children’s books, looking after her house plants or teaching young people, you will find her travelling the globe and connecting with people from all walks of life. It is these connections that inspire her to keep growing, learning and creating beautiful memories.
Victorian-based school teacher and youth mentor Skye Hughes decided that something more needed to be done for kids’ during the current COVID-19 pandemic. She said, “I couldn’t sit idle and watch so many children struggle with social isolation and unanswered questions. I had to do something. I knew the power of storytelling and decided that this was the positive force I would use! ”
Armed with a desire to ease kids’ feelings of isolation and fear amidst the current Victorian Stage 4 lockdown, Skye wrote We’re All In This Together and deliberately tackled the issues children asked about the coronavirus and being away from loved ones, friends and even school.
Sonia Bestulic is a creative, energised woman, wife, and mother of three young children. She was born in Sydney, Australia, and enjoyed a childhood filled with wonderful books and a passion for writing. Musically entwined, she played the violin until her late teens, including performances at the Sydney Opera House. Sonia is Founder of Talking Heads Speech Pathology, the well-known, reputable Sydney based clinics established in 2006. A long term advocate for children’s learning and literacy, Sonia continues to write and speak when it comes to all things children.
Sonia has written numerous articles and delivered countless education events nationally and internationally, to empower parents, educators and business owners to learn more, grow more and enjoy what life has to offer.
As a Children’s Author, she has the privilege of sharing her creative expression, which entwines her extensive knowledge as a Speech & Language Pathologist, and her personal motherhood experiences.
Contact Sonia at sonia@talkingheads.net.au