Paula Weston

Author

Paula has worked as a print journalist and government communication specialist, and is now one half of a writer-designer consultancy. She has been writing fiction for many years, finding her niche penning gritty young adult paranormal stories with an Australian flavour in the Rephaim series.

Where were you born?

I was born in Port Pirie, South Australia, and spent my teen years in the Flinders Ranges. Before I turned 19, I packed up my HQ Holden and headed to Brisbane to continue my cadet journalism career – I’ve been here ever since.

What other jobs have you had?

My professional life has been spent writing (apart from brief stints cleaning a hotel and working at a take-away for pocket money while still at high school).

I was a journalist for 13 years, covering eclectic rounds from police and courts to entertainment. (During that time I was a book, film and TV reviewer for a few years until someone worked out I was having too much fun.)

From newspapers, I moved into government communications and headed up media and marketing teams, respectively, at Logan City Council and Redland City Council. This involved writing speeches for the Mayor (I never did get to use the line ‘a funny thing happened on the way to the forum’ despite a long-running dare to do so), as well as managing media relations and writing corporate publications. These days I work from home as the principal writer/co-owner of pH creative (a writer-designer consultancy).

What themes are recurring in your stories?

ike many writers, I like to explore how people deal with the consequences of their actions. With the Rephaim series, I’ve given that theme a twist by having a narrative character dealing with the consequences of actions she doesn’t remember. I also tend to write about characters who feel they don’t belong – and how they get past that.

What have been the highlights of your career?

After writing for 16 years (with five other manuscripts in my bottom draw), the two-book contract with Text Publishing for the Rephaim series changed my life. To have Text then sign me for books 3 & 4of the series before Shadows was released was also a huge moment.

Where have your works been published?

Shadows (book one1 of the Rephaim series) has been published in Australia and New Zealand. Shadows and Haze (book two) have been sold into the US/Canada (Tundra Books) and the UK (Orion Books) and will be released there in 2013.

What are you passionate about?

Where to start? Reading (particularly Australian literature and quality fantasy/paranormal stories), writing, blogging, cooking, food and wine, travel, Middle Eastern politics, human rights, Foo Fighters, theatre, films, great TV…it’s a long list.

Haven’t I seen you before?

You may have seen a (much younger) headshot in my journalism days, or you may have come along to see my play (with the cumbersome title of Double bourbon, a backseat and a book) when it had performances seasons with Phoenix Ensemble a few years’ back (I wrote the play – I wasn’t in it!)

Anything else you’d like to share with us?

Before I was signed with Text, I was an avid blogger and had two book review sites: Great Stories – (mostly literary novels) and Other Worlds –(fantasy, paranormal etc). I now only keep my author blog updated, but still post the occasional review on Goodreads.