WA AUTHORS & ILLUSTRATORS
Meet the West Australian Authors and Illustrators who support the WA Branch of the CBCA.
We are fortunate to have so much talent in WA. These creators are happy to hear from you about bookings at any time of the year, not just during Children’s Book Week in August. They are available for school visits, author talks, workshops, library visits and kids lit festivals. Please note that, as with all professionals trying to make a living, they will charge minimum ASA rates for their appearances.
Contact them direct via their website or from the information they have supplied in their profiles.
If you would like to be featured on this page, please complete the WA Creator profile submission form.
We are fortunate to have so much talent in WA. These creators are happy to hear from you about bookings at any time of the year, not just during Children’s Book Week in August. They are available for school visits, author talks, workshops, library visits and kids lit festivals. Please note that, as with all professionals trying to make a living, they will charge minimum ASA rates for their appearances.
Contact them direct via their website or from the information they have supplied in their profiles.
If you would like to be featured on this page, please complete the WA Creator profile submission form.
AśkaAśka, (pronounced ‘Ash-ka’), is creative dynamite: a shortlisted graphic novelist, an ex-quantum physicist, and a hugely engaging and popular presenter.
Aśka is very passionate about visual literacy. She has published more than ten books and comics, is a recipient of several government Arts grants and prizes, and volunteers for numerous literary organisations. |
Sean E AverySean E Avery is a teacher, writer-illustrator, sculptor and designer born in South Africa; living in Perth, Western Australia. Locally, he’s best known as the writer-illustrator of well-loved children’s picture books, All Monkeys Love Bananas, published by Fremantle Press. Internationally, he’s best known as a sculptor who uses CDs and DVDs to create breath-taking works of art that reside in galleries and private collections all around the world. He is curious, enthusiastic and ready to work hard for the things he believes in.
|
Jen BanyardJen Banyard writes the kind of adventures she daydreamed about - and sought out - as a kid. Her stories and school sessions are fuelled by the joy of uninhibited play and the power of imagination. Her writing blends humour with grittier themes like compassion and environmental accountability, the Australian Book Review describing her style as smart, funny and insightful.
|
AJ BettsA.J. is a Fremantle-based author for young adults. Her novels include the dystopian duology Hive and Rogue (2018/2019) and Zac & Mia (2013) which was adapted into an Emmy-award-winning television series in Hollywood.
A.J. is also a secondary English Teacher, and a regular presenter in schools. |
Karen BlairKaren Blair is a multi-award winning author and illustrator who has published more than 15 books for children. She is passionate about creating stories that capture the wonder and magic of childhood with an illustration style known for its warmth and liveliness. Karen had the pleasure of teaching art to primary students for many years, sharing a joy of exploring materials and expressing ideas in visual media.
|
Cristy BurneScience writer Cristy Burne’s fiction and non-fiction books are all about inspiring creativity, courage, compassion and capability. Cristy has performed in a science circus, worked as a garbage analyst, and worked for twenty years as a children’s author and science communicator. She’s excited to be working at the intersection of STEM, STEAM and creativity.
|
Raewyn CaisleyMulti award winning author Raewyn Caisley writes stories about cool Western Australian places, (from the Nullarbor to Kalumburu!) and amazing Western Australian people, (like Sam, the famous quantum physicist who was raised by kangaroos!) She's been recognized for her contribution to changing young West Australian lives with her work featured in the Innovations Gallery of our own WA Museum Boola Bardip. Oh, and her school visits are more fun than recess and cake!
|
PETER CHEONGPeter Cheong is an author, illustrator and graphic novelist. After spending several years in the Australian Army, Peter decided to pursue a career in illustration, something that he was always passionate about, but had been afraid to commit to. He currently resides in Perth (Whadjuk Region), Western Australia with his amazing wife (and cat), creating characters and telling their stories.
|
Ruth de VosRuth de Vos’ illustration work has grown out of a career as an internationally recognised textile artist. Ruth combines traditional (pencil, gouache, collage, screen printing) and digital techniques to create fun scenes and worlds. As a mother of six young children, she is an avid and critical consumer of children’s literature, and she also has a ready source of drawing inspiration right in her home.
|
Amy DunjeyAmy is a children’s author with a love for all things quirky and whimsical. She writes picture books, short stories and poetry for children and has a strong hankering for rhyme. As a speech pathologist and lecturer, Amy endeavours to pass on her love for words. She aspires to write stories that ignite little imaginations and instil the same love for words and adventure that she treasures.
|
Gabriel EvansGabriel Evans is an author and illustrator of picture books.
Working from a small studio on a hill surrounded by oak trees, he makes books that have sold internationally, been translated into nine languages and have been shortlisted in the CBCA Picture Book of the Year. Gabriel has travelled Australia giving energetic and informative author visits in schools and libraries from the busy streets of Sydney and Melbourne to the remote indigenous communities in the Pilbara and Kimberley. |
Deb FitzpatrickDeb Fitzpatrick is the author of novels for adults, young adults and children and loves using stories from real life in her books. She regularly teaches creative writing at all levels, and shares her life with a lovely family and their kelpie, who is absolutely not a failed sheep dog.
|
James FoleyJames Foley makes children’s books for children who read books. If you’re a child and you’re eating his books, you’re doing it wrong. James writes and draws; he gives talks and runs workshops. He tells dad jokes. Legends say James can grow a beard in an afternoon. He lives in Perth with his wife, two kids, and a labrador. He is a massive Marvel movie nerd and comes from a long line of queuing enthusiasts.
|
Elaine ForrestalElaine Forrestal loves the sea. She lives just a stone’s throw from the dog beach and can be seen walking and swimming there first thing every morning. It's where she thinks about her characters, from the manuscript she is working on, and asks them what they have been up to since the previous day.
|
Sharon GiltrowSharon Giltrow grew up the youngest of eight children, surrounded by pet sheep and fields of barley. She is a children’s author who writes humorous and heartfelt picture books. As well as speculative, adventure filled middle grade books.
Sharon is an enthusiastic and inspirational speaker with a passion for developing children’s oral, visual, and written literacy. |
Mark GreenwoodMark Greenwood is a history hunter who enjoys exploring the past, searching for lost treasures and delving into baffling mysteries. To create his award-winning books, Mark likes collecting clues and brushing away the layers of time to blend information about the past with the power of imagination. Most of all, Mark enjoys sharing his writing secrets with students of all ages and backgrounds, inspiring them to develop their curiosity about reading, writing and history.
|
Renae HaywardRenae Hayward was born during a cyclone in Western Australia’s Pilbara region, but grew up by the beaches of Perth’s northern suburbs. She has authored two books for children, Barking Mad and Say Hooray, and was the inaugural recipient of the Ray Koppe Young Writers Residency (Australian Society of Authors/Varuna). She has also contributed as a poet to The School Magazine (NSW Department of Education).
|
Steve HeronWhen he’s not hanging out with the local magpie population, award-winning author Steve Heron uses forty years of experience working with children in social/emotional well-being to cultivate and underpin his writing to create children's books that touch and tickle hearts.
Steve was a recipient of an Order of Australia Medal in 2016 for his contribution to the social and emotional well-being of children. |
Lorraine HorsleyLorraine has spent most of her working life in the media. She started out in TV news, worked in print media, spent over a decade as a presenter and producer with ABC Radio and is a freelance writer, ghostwriter and author.
Lorraine gives talks and workshops on a variety of topics and facilitates events with other authors. |
Kylie HowarthKylie Howarth is an award-winning, internationally published children’s book author and illustrator from Western Australia. She’s braved encounters with lionfish in Egypt, piranha in the Amazon, elephants in Africa, hammerhead sharks in Ecuador, humpback whales in Ningaloo, and thousands of primary school students in Australia. The textures in Kylie’s book illustrations are created with her two adventurous young boys during their backyard art sessions.
|
NORMAN JORGENSENCBCA award-winning author Norman Jorgensen freely admits that while he may have the body of an ageing historical novelist, he can still tap successfully into the mind of his adolescent 12-year-old self and write the sort of thrilling adventure stories kids that age love to read.
He relishes the challenge of transforming reluctant, disengaged students into avid readers through the power of his storytelling. |
Denis KnightDenis Knight is a children’s author and computer programmer who grew up geeking out about the works of JRR Tolkien, Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams. His presentations on the topic of “Science, Books and Magic” are designed to make literature and science fun. His shows are also notable for incorporating “big impact” science demonstrations – including vortex cannons and toilet paper blowers – which never fail to wow audiences of any age.
|
Cindy LaneCindy is an award winning illustrator, found most days splashing in rock-pools, puddles and paint. She loves to share her creative techniques, bringing out the artist in everyone, especially those who think they can't draw or paint.
Helping students overcome their fear of the blank page and perfection paralysis is Cindy's speciality! |
Josh LangleyJosh Langley was told he wouldn't amount to much in life, having failed high school (twice) and being unemployed for several years, but that didn’t stop him from becoming a multi award-winning radio copywriter and children’s author. His groundbreaking children’s books, programs and talks on resilience, self-acceptance, understanding emotions and kindness, are helping thousands of kids make friends with themselves. His funny and engaging presentations have been developed to complement the health and wellbeing aspects of the Australian curriculum as well as connecting with pastoral care policies.
|
Julia LawrinsonJulia Lawrinson has written more than a dozen books for children and teenagers, many of them award-winning.
She grew up in the outer suburbs of Perth, Western Australia, and loves dogs, oceans, and sunsets. She loves getting students of all ages reading, writing and having fun with stories. |
Frané Lessac |
