Creative Net has been set up to facilitate author and illustrator participation in schools, libraries, conferences and festivals, without the major cost of paying a speakers' agency a huge fee every day. For something completely different, we're providing our service free. All you need do is choose one of the authors or illustrators listed, give us your preferred date for their appearance, and we will confirm details with the requested speaker. Once the date is set, we put you in direct touch with the author or illustrator concerned. Our authors and illustrators cover picture books through to young adult fiction. All our speakers are experienced and receive excellent feedback. We expect our list to grow exponentially so if there is no one here that you feel is suitable for your event, check us out when you're next organising an event! Email Terrie at fordstr@internode.on.net re your choice of speaker. |
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Paul Collins has written many books for young adults. He is best known for his fantasy and science fiction titles: The Jelindel Chronicles (Dragonlinks, Dragonfang, Dragonsight and Wardragon), and The Quentaris Chronicles (Swords of Quentaris, Slaves of Quentaris, Dragonlords of Quentaris, Princess of Shadows, The Forgotten Prince, Vampires of Quentaris and The Spell of Undoing). His trade books published in America are The Earthborn, The Skyborn and The Hiveborn. Paul has many strings to his bow. He’s been an agent, publisher, writer, editor etc. He has written over sixty chapter books, around thirty non-fiction hardcovers for the education market (published both in Australia and the US), and two collections of his own stories. He co-edited four boxed sets of anthologies with Meredith Costain (Spinouts and Thrillogies), edited twelve trade anthologies, and was the editor of The MUP Encyclopaedia of Australian Science Fiction and Fantasy. Paul has been short-listed for many awards and has won the Inaugural Peter McNamara, Aurealis and William Atheling awards. His current fantasy project is The World of Grrym, in collaboration with Danny Willis. His websites are www.paulcollins.com.au and www.quentaris.com. Paul gives 2-3 hour workshops to students and adults on fantasy writing and world creation which includes plotting. He also specialises in writing and editing workshops for grades 4 through to 8; gives industry overview talks, and talks on getting published to adults. |
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Sean McMullen is an internationally published Australian SF and fantasy author. He lives in Melbourne, and has had over a dozen books published. He was co-author of Strange Constellations, a History of Australian SF and has a doctorate in medieval fantasy literature. His international sales have been in the USA, Britain, France, Poland, Germany, Russia and Japan, and he has won several awards for his novels, stories and articles. Aside from writing, Sean works in computing, is an instructor at the Melbourne University karate club, and has a background in fencing. Before he began writing, Sean spent several years in student reviews and theatre, was lead singer in three bands, sang in several early music groups and choirs, and spent two years in the Victorian State Opera. He has given numerous workshops on writing in Australia and America, and is an experienced speaker in writing techniques. Some of Sean’s best known books are: Mirrorsun Rising; The Centurion's Empire; Souls in the Great Machine and Eyes of the Calculor. Sean does both half day workshops and one hour talks on writing SF and fantasy, and specialises in developing innovations, plots and worlds. He has a particular interest in using history in fiction. Ideas used in his own novels include a Roman time machine powered by human labour, a workable computer using humans as components, an alternative to both death and immortality, a scientifically valid form of telepathy, and a wind-powered submarine. Details of his published works are available at www.seanmcmullen.net.au. |
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Justin D’Ath was born in New Zealand but has lived in Australia since 1971. He has written 25 books for children including the very popular Extreme Adventure series and The Skyflower (Quentaris Chronicles). His YA novel Pool, was shortlisted in the 2008 Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards and declared a Notable Book by the CBC. For 12 years Justin taught in, and co-ordinated, the Professional Writing and Editing program at Bendigo Regional Institute of TAFE, but now spends all his time writing, visiting schools and libraries, speaking at festivals and running writing workshops. Justin lives with partner Ryn and their two dogs beside a river in the hills north of Melbourne. |
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Dianne (Di) Bates has published 100 books for young readers, including two YA novels, The Last Refuge and Crossing the Line (Ford Street). However, most of Di’s books are for the 7 to 12 age group. Di publishes an online fortnightly magazine, Buzz Words (The Latest Buzz on Children’s Books) for people in the Australian children’s book industry (www.buzzwordsmagazine.com). Di is also active in the Children’s Book Council of Australia. She lives in Wollongong, NSW, with her award-winning YA author husband, Bill Condon. Their website is www.enterprisingwords.com Di’s best known books are the Grandma Cadbury and the Bushranger series. The latter includes Desert Dan, the Dunnyman, which won the Kids’ Own Australian Literature Award (KOALA). Grandma Cadbury’s Trucking Tales also won the West Australian Young Readers’ Book Award, while Di’s picture book Big Bad Bruce is in the KOALA Hall of Fame for multiple nominations. Di’s I Am An Australian non-fiction title won a special award in the Multicultural Australian Literature Awards. Di is happy to talk at festivals and conferences alongside her husband, Bill Condon (Dogs, No Worries, Dare Devils, Give Me Truth). |
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Sue Bursztynski grew up in the beachside suburbs of Melbourne, where she still lives. For many years, she wrote fiction and non-fiction for small-press science fiction magazines before she won the Mary Grant Bruce Award for children’s literature and realised that what she enjoyed most was writing for young people. She has written nine books, one of which, Potions to Pulsars: Women doing science, was a Notable Book in the Children’s Book Council Awards. Another, Starwalkers: Explorers of the unknown, was nominated for the NSW Premier’s History Award. When not writing, Sue works in a school in Melbourne’s western suburbs. She enjoys reading, music, handcraft and old science fiction movies. Her current book is Crime Time. |
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| Kim Miller grew up freewheeling the backstreets of country NSW but now lives on coastal Lake Macquarie. First studying engineering, he holds a PhD blending theology and Jungian psychology. Kim was a prison chaplain for many years and now works with men coming out of prison. His current YA book is They Told Me I Had To Write This. |  |
| Shane Thamm wrote My Private Pectus while studying masculinities at Queensland University of Technology. After six years working in high school outdoor education, and the masculinised outdoor adventure industry, he became intimately interested in what makes young men tick, and the emotional challenges they negotiate each day, often in silence. He likes to give these boys a voice. |  |
Doug MacLeod is a Melbourne writer for adults and children who has worked with most of Australia’s top comedians. He started as head writer on The Comedy Company, ended up producing Full Frontal then ran away to write episodes of SeaChange and script edit Kath and Kim. In 2008 The Australian Writers’ Guild awarded him the Fred Parsons Award Recognising Special Contribution to Australian Comedy. His best-known children’s book is probably Sister Madge’s Book of Nuns, which started as a practical joke on a publisher. It is most unprofessional to write a book merely as a practical joke, so he has decided to do it once again with My Extraordinary Life and Death. |
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George Ivanoff lives in Melbourne. He most current YA book is YA Gamers’ Quest (Oct 2009). He has written over 30 books for children and teenagers. Two of his books (Life, Death and Detention and Real Sci-Fi) have been on the booklist for the Victorian Premier’s Reading Challenge since its inception in 2005. George has also had stories published in numerous magazines and anthologies, most recently in GROW: Under the Southern Cross, Trust Me! and Doctor Who, Short Trips: Defining Patterns. Check out his websites: www.georgeivanoff.com.au and www.gamersquestbook.com |
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Foz Meadows lives in Melbourne. Her first title, Solace and Grief will be published in April 2010. Foz will talk and conduct workshops for young adults and adults. In her words: Mythology and Pop Culture Throughout history, human beings have used stories as a means of understanding the world around them, not only in terms of natural phenomena, but culture, behaviour and emotion. Though many different social structures have come and gone, people still tell stories about themselves, alternately reinforcing and questioning their roles in life. In mythology, we often talk about archetypal characters – heroes, villains, gods and monsters – as substitutes for questions of morality and identity. What makes a hero good, or a villain bad? Why do gods permit the existence of monsters? Similarly, modern popular culture encompasses the stuff of stereotypes – nerds, bimbos, jocks, rebels – whose roles as exaggerated but familiar versions of real people allow us to understand our own social reality. Why are stereotypes used as straw men? How is subverting them helpful? Taken this way, mythological archetypes and modern stereotypes present a powerful vehicle for discussing notions of identity, strength, exclusion, popularity and human nature. I will talk about how these ideas frequently collide in modern pop culture, particularly in works of fantasy, and how contrasting the original mythologies with their recent representations can lead to a greater understanding and appreciation of narrative. |
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Corinne Fenton Let’s Talk about Picture Books and Social History Corinne Fenton is the author of more than 20 books for children but her passion is picture books, often with a social history. Her classic picture book Queenie One Elephant’s Story illustrated by Peter Gouldthorpe, was named an Honour Book in the 2007 CBCA Book of the Year Awards. The Dog on the Tuckerbox, also illustrated by Peter Gouldthorpe, was shortlisted in the Australian Publishers Association Awards and the Australian Book Industry Awards. It was named a Notable Book in two categories of the 2009 CBCA Book of the Year Awards. It was recently displayed by the Australian Publishers Association at the Bologna Book Fair in Italy. Her latest picture book Flame Stands Waiting illustrated by Sebastian Ciaffaglione has just been released. Set in the time when a carousel ride was a highlight of a child’s life, this is the story of wanting something enough to make it real. All her picture books have been published by Black Dog Books. When she is not writing, Corinne loves presenting to schools, libraries and adults about the writing and research behind her picture books. She talks about the differences and similarities between her non-fiction, faction and fiction titles. There is a huge amount of information behind each of these books and Corinne sees them as a starting point for students to research history for themselves. Corinne is also the Assistant Regional Adviser (Victoria) of the Society of Children’s Book Writer’s and Illustrators in Australia. |
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We also represent: Meredith Costain A versatile writer, Meredith has written over 100 books for children. Her work ranges from picture books through to popular fiction and non-fiction for older readers. Meredith’s books include Bed Tails, several books in the Aussie Nibbles series, the Year in Girl Hell series and Musical Harriet, which was adapted for television by the ABC. Doodledum Dancing, illustrated by Pamela Allen, was an Honour Book in the 2007 CBCA Early Childhood awards. Meredith is also the literary editor of national children’s magazines Comet, Explore and Challenge and regularly presents workshops in libraries and schools. More details at www.meredithcostain.com |
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Phil Kettle's - The Writer's Shirt Workshop (2 hour workshop for boys or mixed group - Grades 3, 4, 5 & 6)
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Susan Halliday's - The Writer's Hat Workshop (2 hour workshop for girls or mixed group - Grades 3, 4, 5 & 6)
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Junior Primary Workshop with Phil Kettle and Susan Halliday LETS GO FISHING - A TOOCOOL & MARCY STORY WORKSHOP (1 hour Grades 1 & 2 boys and/or girls) |
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JE Fison JE Fison is the author of Hazard River, a series of adventure stories for primary school children. The emphasis in the series is on fun and action, but each story has an environmental theme. The first book in the series Shark Frenzy was inspired by a serious fact: one hundred million sharks are slaughtered each year, mostly for their fins. The practice of shark finning, where the sharks' fins are cut off and the bodies are thrown back into the sea, is just one of the problems that the kids of Hazard River come up against in the series. JE Fison is a former television reporter and travel writer and has lived and worked in Australia, Asia and Europe. The Hazard River stories reflect the author's interest and passion in current affairs and for a great adventure story. The author currently lives in Brisbane and spends as much time as possible on the Noosa River, the inspiration for the Hazard River series. JE Fison is available for workshops on turning real events into really great adventure stories. The author is particularly interested in how a snippet of information can be built into a whole story, with the help of believable characters, a good plot and a bit of imagination. The author can also speak at events and festivals on the real issues that inspire the Hazard River stories. |
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Festival organiser: If you would like to invite any of our authors to your festival or conference please contact me via info@fordstreetpublishing.com or phone (03) 9481 1120, fax (03) 9481 1123. |
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