novelist
A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others asp ...
.
Life and career
After training and working as a nurse for most of her adult life, she graduated from the
University of the Sunshine Coast
The University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC) is a public university based on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. After opening with 524 students in 1996 as the Sunshine Coast University College, it was later renamed the University of the ...
with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2005, in creative writing. Her first novel ''The Anatomy of Wings'' was originally published in 2008, by the
University of Queensland Press
Established in 1948, University of Queensland Press (UQP) is an Australian publishing house.
Founded as a traditional university press, UQP has since branched into publishing books for general readers in the areas of fiction, non-fiction, poetr ...
, and has since been published in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada.
Awards and nominations
* 2006:
Queensland Premier's Literary Award
The Queensland Premier's Literary Awards were an Australian suite of literary awards inaugurated in 1999 and disestablished in 2012. It was one of the most generous suites of literary awards within Australia, with $225,000 in prize money across ...
(Best emerging author)
* 2008:
Commonwealth Writers' Prize
Commonwealth Foundation presented a number of prizes between 1987 and 2011. The main award was called the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and was composed of two prizes: the Best Book Prize (overall and regional) was awarded from 1987 to 2011; the Best ...
(Best First Book in the South East Asia and South Pacific Region) for ''The Anatomy of Wings''
* 2008: Dobbie Encouragement Award for ''The Anatomy of Wings''
* 2014:
Davitt Award
The Davitt Awards are literary awards which are presented annually by the Sisters in Crime Australia association. The awards are named in honour of Ellen Davitt (1812–1879) who wrote Australia's first mystery novel, ''Force and Fraud'' in 186 ...
for ''The Midnight Dress''
* 2019: Griffith University Young Adult Book Award for ''Lenny’s Book of Everything''
*2020: New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Ethel Turner Prize for Young People's Literature for ''Lenny's Book of Everything''
*2022: Indie Books Award Children's Book, shortlisted for ''Dragon Skin''
*2022: CBCAChildren's Book of the Year Award: Younger Readers, shortlisted for ''Dragon Skin''
*2022: New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Patricia Wrightson Prize for Children's Literature for ''Dragon Skin''
*2022:
Prime Minister's Literary Award
The Australian Prime Minister's Literary Awards (PMLA) were announced at the end of 2007 by the incoming First Rudd ministry following the 2007 election. They are administered by the Minister for the Arts.
Works
* ''The Anatomy of Wings'' (2008)
* ''The Midnight Dress'' (2013)
* '' Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy'' (2014)
* ''A Most Magical Girl'' (2016)
*''Lenny's Book of Everything'' (2018)
*''Dragon Skin'' (2021)