SUCCESS STORIES
I'm deeply proud of every writer who came to me with a manuscript or the beginnings of an idea, and in time found their way to a published book. The road is long, but these writers had stamina, heart, and determination. It was an honour to work with them and to help them realise their dreams. For more information about any of the books listed, click on the cover image.
Emma was selected for The 2018 KSP First Edition Retreat and I immediately liked her because, put simply, she gets shit done. We talked about The Last Bookshop, and she committed to not only completing it, but finding it a home. In time she was first shortlisted for the 2019 Fogarty Prize, and then published by Fremantle Press in 2021.
Emma Young
I remember the exact day I first read Wayne’s work. He was enrolled in my online Advanced Fiction workshop through Writers Victoria. I opened the submissions, started to read, and though, ‘Whoa.’ Wayne and his work are different, in the best possible sense of the word.
Wayne Marshall
Bindy Pritchard was selected for the 2017 KSP First Edition Retreat, although I read her incredible story, ‘Dying’ before this point while working for Margaret River Press. If I had to describe Bindy’s work, it would be soulful; he writes incredibly deeply, and as readers we are better for her willingness to sit in such flawed, complex characters.
Bindy Pritchard
Emily Paull is one of the more sensitive writers I’ve worked with. I say this because I know it took strength and persistence to develop stories she’d already published in journals, while under my tutelage. I raised the bar for her, hoping she could make the leap. And she did, and there are stories in this collection that are standouts, whatever the metric applied.
Emily Paull
Su-May Tan was a student in my Advanced Fiction online class for Writers Victoria. She writes with such incision that one cannot read her work without revisiting their own, looking for places in which one might tighten the prose, or find a better word. Su-May’s collection is exquisite, and I was delighted to see her find a well-deserved debut publication.
Su-May Tan
I’m cheating here slightly as I’ve only assessed Zoe’s short stories, which have often found success, as opposed to this novel. It’s a belter of a book, though so I wanted to include it here. If I had to describe Zoe’s writing I’d say it was, ‘Necessarily uneasy.’ Deleuil’s world is one of greys, and her work is all the better for it. The words may not always be comfortable; they’re vital, regardless, and powerful too.
Zoe Deleuil
David was selected for the KSP 2017 First Edition Retreat when Locust Summer had just been shortlisted for The Vogel Literary Award. What’s Locust Summer like? Well, it’s part Steinbeck with a sprinkle of the biblical. And yet, there’s more at play here too with the modern man thrust into an ancient narrative, seeking tenderness amidst decay and destruction. It’s a harvest years in the making and a standout book from a dedicated and talented author.
David Allan-Petale
Magdalena took part in my first Advanced Fiction online workshop for Writers Victoria. Her short stories are amazing; her novels are too, and in 2016 this novel won the Impress Prize for new writers. What can we learn from Magdalena? To take risks, and to be brave in our characterisation, never settling for the archetypal when there’s the possibility of creating someone truly original.
Magdalena McGuire
I first published a short story of Sam’s when editing Page Seventeen in 2010. From there, I took her on as my very first mentee. This was perhaps a bad call as Sam was a dream to work with, making things infinitely harder for any mentee that came since. What made her such a dream? Commitment, humility, and courage. Sam’s writing will make you feel things. She was born to write, is an incredibly decent person, and lives her life that are, in many ways, still inspirational to me to this day.
Sam Van Zweden
Mel Hall was selected for the 2017 KSP First Edition Retreat but didn’t attend until 2019. The Little Boat on Trusting Lane (then titled ‘The Shapes’) is infused with a deep, compassionate humanism. Reading her work, it’s hard not to feel ‘funny’, like every classification you’ve made about a colleague or stranger was unnecessarily simplistic. She writes as she exists: wholly, at times confused, but always seeking greater connection.
Mel Hall
Again, my work gives me the opportunity of working with an author on a book other than their debut novel, and again, their novel is first-class. I can tell you that Kathy worked hard over an impressively long period of time to get this book published. What kept her going? Her. She developed her craft, inhabited the world, and in time Harper Collins saw fit to publish her words, and to begin in earnest the career of an already talented, dedicated novelist and short story writer.