Several decades ago, at Adelaide’s Writers Week, I was dragooned into constructing a ramp for Dorothy Hewett. I’d spent the afternoon imbibing with an acquaintance called Joe Public (there are many embellishments in this story, but Joe’s name isn’t one of them). Joe’s fashion sense blended hobo haute couture with dire dentistry while I was […]

It’s Love Your Bookshop Day this Saturday 11 August and we thought we’d ask some of our authors about their favourite bookshops? What’s yours? H.C. Gildfind The Sun Bookshop, in Yarraville, Victoria, manages to pack a huge variety of books into a small space, including loads from Aussie writers and small publishers. Their staff are […]

1. Space is required to judge a competition To start the process of sorting through a pile of competition entries, I generally start with a ‘yes’ pile and a ‘no’ pile, alongside the unread pile of course. Pretty soon, the ‘yes’ pile is bigger than the ‘no’ pile and I need to lay out a […]

1. There are many types of editors People often assume that ALL editors perform the same role, but there is an abundance of roles that editors take on that require different skill sets and experience. The most common types of editors that you may come across are structural editors, copyeditors and proofreaders. As a general […]

1. Not everyone understands that books need to be designed When I meet new people and they ask what I do for a living, they are often perplexed when I answer, ‘I’m a book designer’. This is mostly followed by a puzzled look (you can see their brains ticking away) and the next question is, […]

What does an editorial board member look for in a submission? There is no easy answer to this question. There are some motherhood statements that spring to mind—like well written, original, an arresting voice, an engaging narrative—and so on. But to unpick...

I've been writing for a long time. I remember writing my first 'real' story when I was about ten years old. I wrote it on an old typewriter that had a bung 'E' key, so I remember banging on it, sometimes ending up with surplus E's in my words. I've always been happy creating stories and editing myself.

By February next year, I will hopefully have my first book, After the Party, out in the world. I still find it hard to believe and, occasionally, I look at my signed contract with Harlequin to confirm that it’s true. When friends ask what it’s about, I give them my elevator pitch. ‘It’s about a […]

In my head, there are two types of writers. The first type I consider to be the ‘born’ writer. They come into the world with a sense of destiny about their writerly future. They sit at the computer (or, more romantically, with pen and paper in hand) and the words pour out. Ideas and characters […]

The final judge and editor for the 2019 collection is Michelle Cahill. The competition is open to authors of any age and nationality and closes 28 September 2018. Please submit short stories to...