Valerie Khoo
Magic & Mayhem: Discover the secrets to creating magnificent books for kids and teens.Episodes
Episodes of Magic & Mayhem
Mark All
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Meet Suzanne O’Sullivan, commissioning editor for Lothian Children’s Books and the Associate Publisher of Children’s Books for Hachette Australia. Suzanne is looking for authors with strong and fresh voices who tell unique stories. Learn what e
Meet Marisa Pintado, YA publisher for Hardie Grant Egmont in Melbourne. Marisa is also the author of award-winning middle grade and YA fiction and manages the Ampersand Prize for debut novelists. As a publisher, Marisa knows exactly what she wa
Meet Kimberly McCreight, best selling author of the Outliers YA trilogy. When Kimberly missed out on a job, she took it as a sign that she had to publish her next manuscript. Fortunately, her book Reconstructing Amelia was picked up and she has
Find out how Rachael Craw turned a dream into a bestselling YA trilogy. After dreaming the prologue for her Spark series, Rachael carefully worked through important questions about plot, motivation and character. Writing is 99% sweat, after all
How Ellie Marney discovered her crime-writing superpower. Ellie had written in many genres, but after winning the Sisters in Crime award, decided to focus on crime writing for young adults. Learn how much you need to watch your language for a Y
Meet Nicole Hayes, award-winning author, podcaster, and writing teacher. Nicole has written three YA novels and writes and podcasts about Australian Rules football. It’s all about writing what you love, as she says. Learn how point of view can
How Gabrielle Tozer uses her marketing knowledge to promote her books. Gabrielle always knew she wanted to be a writer, and worked in magazines for many years before turning her hand to fiction. She has now published three YA novels and a pictu
Learn how Allison Rushby has found success in both traditional and self-publishing. Allison has published more than 20 books for middle grade, YA and adults, but recently she began self-publishing her backlist. Learn why volume is more importan
How Fleur Ferris traded in her police uniform for an award-winning publishing career. Fleur writes popular YA crime thrillers, and she is able to draw on her experience as a former police officer and paramedic. Learn about the value of an onlin
Carole Wilkinson found publishing success after 40. Carole heartily believes in saying yes to every opportunity, no matter how small, and that’s how she has built a successful career as a writer of fiction for kids and young adults. Learn how t
Kim Wilkins balances a successful writing career with a fulltime job. Kim is one busy lady, publishing as both Kim Wilkins and Kimberley Freeman, all while having a family, and a career as a university professor. Learn how Kim makes time to wri
Meet internationally best selling writer Veronica Roth, author of the Divergent series. While Veronica’s success came as a surprise to her, she thinks that YA will always have a broad appeal. Learn how success has changed her writing style, how
Belinda Murrell quit journalism for a successful fiction writing career. Belinda is the author of more than 20 books, including The Sun Sword fantasy trilogy and the Lulu Bell series for younger readers. Learn how much historical detail is just
How Emily Gale went from editing kids books to writing her own. Emily was nervous about taking the plunge into writing after establishing a successful career in publishing. But she jumped bravely in and has now published six books for kids and
Meet Wendy Orr, author of many books including Nim’s Island, which was made into a film starring Jodie Foster. Wendy has published more than 40 books for children and adults and has won many prestigious awards. Learn how to deal with the ups an
Listen to Alexa Moses’s journey to writing action-packed kids fiction. Alexa knows that kids books have to full of action, just like in television, and she keeps her stories rollicking along. Learn how serious plotting can cut back on revisions
How Judith Rossell went from being a scientist, to illustrating and writing children’s fiction. Judith has illustrated more than 80 books and written 13 of her own in a career that spans every type and genre of kids book. Learn how pictures and
Discover how Meg McKinlay found her strangest self - and publishing success! Meg started off writing poetry, and doesn’t consider herself a natural plotter, but that hasn’t stopped her from publishing 20 books for kids and adults. Learn how to
Meet Jacqueline Harvey, author of the successful Alice-Miranda and Clementine Rose series. Jacqueline started her publishing career after winning a picture book competition, and is now a bestselling junior fiction writer. Learn the questions yo
How Catherine Pelosi aimed for the stars and landed a book deal. Catherine was initially skeptical of joining a critique group, but by finding a supportive creative community, she has thrived and published three books for kids. Learn how to fin
Tamsin Janu writes just one day a week is a successful middle grade fiction writer with four books, all while keeping her day job. Learn how to let a manuscript breathe, how to fit writing around work, and that yes, it really is possible to bec
How Nova Weetman turned her screenwriting skills to middle grade and young adult fiction. Nova has been writing professionally for over 20 years, but when she couldn’t make a dark and real kids TV series, she wrote it as a book instead. Learn h
This is how Tim Harris found success with short stories for kids. Tim started out as a primary school teacher, reading out his first short story to a bunch of first graders. Since then, he’s released four volumes of his popular Exploding Ending
Oliver Phommavanh turns stereotypes into bestselling stories. Oliver is a self-confessed nerd, so it’s no surprise he read more than 300 kids books before sitting down to write his own. Learn why attending festivals is so important, how to make
Meet Lauren Child, author of the super successful Charlie and Lola, Clarice Bean, and Ruby Redfort books. Lauren started as an illustrator but has found success as a children’s author. Learn how to become a brutal editor, when to turn to expert
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