Speaker Type: Author

Kate Constable

Author

Kate Constable is the author of the acclaimed and internationally published fantasy trilogy, The Chanters of Tremaris. She has also written three realist books for teenagers as part of the highly successful Girlfriend Fiction series. Her recent fantasy for younger readers, Cicada Summer, has been short listed for the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards and Crow Country won the CBCA Book of the Year (Younger Readers) in 2012.

Kim Kane

Author

Kim Kane was born in London in a bed bequeathed by Wordsworth to…a writer, a painter or a poet. Despite this auspicious beginning, she went on to practice law.

Robert Newton

Author

Robert Newton works as a full-time firefighter with the Metropolitan Fire Brigade. His first novel, My Name is Will Thompson, was published in 2001. Since then he has written six other novels for young people, including Runner, The Black Dog Gang and When We Were Two, which won the 2012 Prime Minister’s Literary Award for Young Adult Fiction. He lives in Melbourne with his wife and three daughters.

Chrissie Perry

Author

Chrissie is the author of over 35 books for Children and Young Adults, including 13 books in the best-selling Go Girl series, the much-loved Penelope Perfect series and the award-winning Whisper. Her work has been published in twelve countries.  A  new series Blabbermouth will hit bookshops and library shelves early 2020. She lives in Southbank, Melbourne with her youngest child and husband.

Chris Miles

Author

Chris Miles has written a wide range of books for children and teenagers. He’s found fun and unique pathways into studying Australian history in his popular non-fiction books, thrilled reluctant readers with fast-paced adventures as an author on the mega-successful Zac Power series, and provoked LOLs and a few gasps with Spurt: a balls and all story, his outrageously naughty comedy novel for teens. His sessions explore how to engage young people with history, narrative, and humour.

Andrew McDonald

Author

Andrew McDonald is the author of the Real Pigeons and Hello Twigs series (illustrated by Ben Wood). He loves writing books that make kids laugh, gasp and wonder about the world.

His books have been shortlisted for prizes such as the Australian Book Industry Awards, the Readings Children’s Book Prize, and the YABBA, KOALA and KROC children’s choice book awards.

Andrew lives in Naarm/Melbourne and is a passionate advocate for books, reading and engaging kids through creativity.

Davina Bell

Author

Davina Bell is a book editor and writer for young people. Her first picture book, The Underwater Fancy-dress Parade, won the Small Publishers category in the 2016 Australian Book Industry Awards, and she is the author of the Alice books in the bestselling Our Australian Girl series of historical fiction for middle readers. Davina was formerly a Senior Editor at Penguin Books, where she worked with some of our country’s most beloved children’s book creators.

Karen Comer

Author

Karen Comer is an author, freelance editor and writing mentor and presents writing workshops to children and adults. She teaches a ten-month online writing course and presents writing workshops to schools and holiday programs. Her work as a freelance editor includes fiction for adults and children, as well as personal development, memoir, health, wellbeing and general business books. Karen’s young adult verse novel, Grace Notes, was published by Hachette in February 2023. She wrote this during Melbourne’s six lockdowns – nowhere to go, time to write! Her middle-grade verse novel, Sunshine on Vinegar Street, was published by Allen & Unwin in June 2023. This book took her thirteen years to write and metamorphosed from a picture book to a middle-grade prose novel to a middle-grade verse novel.

Karen hopes to introduce more readers to the lyrical wonders of verse novels.