The Sunshine House

Elizabeth ‘Biffy’ James has been an avid fan of Young Adult fiction ever since she picked up her first ‘Sweet Valley High’ book at the local second-hand bookshop. Now, over twenty years later, she has come to terms with the fact that if she hasn’t grown out of reading about teenagers experiencing the ups and downs of adolescence by now, she probably never will.Biffy holds a Masters degree in Creative Writing from RMIT and her past experience working as a house mother at a local boarding school has provided her with a unique and authentic voice. She is dedicated to writing realistic and contemporary fiction that captures the heartbreaking and hilarious day-to-day life of the modern teenager.When she’s not glued to her thesaurus and reference books such as ’1001 Baby Names,’ Elizabeth spends her time freelancing in production and casting, and working as a copywriter and editor.Completely Normal (and Other Lies) is Biffy's debut novel. Follow along!Zanni's website Zanni's instagramThe Sunshine House Writers and Creatives FB GroupThis podcast episode is produced by Jen Pitch: @virtualcreatrix

Katrina Nannestad is an award-winning Australian author. Her books include the CBCA-shortlisted We Are Wolves, The Girl Who Brought Mischief, the Travelling Bookshop series, the Girl, the Dog and the Writer series, the Olive of Groves series, the Red Dirt Diaries series, the Lottie Perkins series, and the historical novels Rabbit, Soldier, Angel, Thief, Waiting for the Storks, and her latest book, Silver Linings.Katrina grew up in country New South Wales in a neighbourhood stuffed full of happy children. Her adult years have been spent raising boys, teaching, daydreaming and pursuing her love of stories. Katrina celebrates family, friendship and belonging in her writing. She also loves creating stories that bring joy or hope to other people's lives.Katrina now lives on a hillside in central Victoria with her husband, a silly whippet called Olive and a mob of kangaroos.Follow along!Zanni's website Zanni's instagramThe Sunshine House Writers and Creatives FB GroupThis podcast episode is produced by Jen Pitch: @virtualcreatrix

Fiona Lloyd was born in the beautiful North-East of England near picturesque countryside, windswept beaches and the vibrant cultural city of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. She dreamed of writing in a cosy country cottage and of life as a theatre actress but, as it often does, life got in the way.Working and travelling instead, Fiona floated in the Dead Sea, climbed the Sydney Harbour bridge, gave guided tours in Holland and fell in love with all things Greek during her two years in Athens and Skiathos. Her most special travel experience was in Myanmar where she visited the place where her Granny was born.Amongst her myriad of interesting jobs, Fiona worked as a television colourist on Home & Away, This is Greece and Secrets of Britain’s Great Cathedrals. She has works in several anthologies for children, is a role model for Books in Homes, coach with the Harding Miller Education Foundation and Schools Program Coordinator for the Words on the Waves Writers Festival.Fiona loves storytelling in all forms, especially theatre, television and books. Now settled near Sydney with her husband and three children, she mostly travels in her head to marvellous, magical places.Being Jimmy Baxter is her debut middle-grade novel.Follow along!Zanni's website Zanni's instagramThe Sunshine House Writers and Creatives FB GroupThis podcast episode is produced by Jen Pitch: @virtualcreatrix

Rory H. Mather is an extroverted rhyme loving picture book author…with a beard. For ten years he worked in public libraries and for three of those years he delivered kidlit programs such as Story Time and Baby Rhyme Time. He has a passion for funny picture books and reading and shares his passion with anyone who will listen. He also loves puns so watch out! His latest book, My Little Star, is out now.Follow along!Zanni's website Zanni's instagramThe Sunshine House Writers and Creatives FB GroupThis podcast episode is produced by Jen Pitch: @virtualcreatrix

Rebecca Stead is a bestselling author of seven novels for young people: When You Reach Me, Liar & Spy, First Light, Goodbye Stranger, Bob (with Wendy Mass), The Lost Library (ditto) and The List of Things That Will Not Change.Her books have been awarded the Newbery Medal, the Boston Globe/Horn Book Fiction Award and Fiction Honor, and the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize; shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal, Waterstone’s Book Prize, Barnes & Noble Children’s Book Award, and Premio Strega Ragazze e Ragazza; and named New York Times Notable Books for Children, NPR’s Books We Love, and a Time magazine Top Ten of the Year.She’s not a fast writer but has learned to embrace her process and urges you to do the same.Follow along!Zanni's website Zanni's instagramThe Sunshine House Writers and Creatives FB GroupThis podcast episode is produced by Jen Pitch: @virtualcreatrix

Sara Shepard is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Pretty Little Liars series, The Lying Game series, The Heiresses, The Elizas, The Perfectionists series, and Reputation. She is also the author of the Penny Draws series for middle grade readers.She graduated from NYU and has an MFA from Brooklyn College. She has lived in New York City, Brooklyn, Tucson, Arizona, Philadelphia, and now lives in Pittsburgh, PA. Follow along!Zanni's website Zanni's instagramThe Sunshine House Writers and Creatives FB GroupThis podcast episode is produced by Jen Pitch: @virtualcreatrix

Eva Amores is an author and designer/photographer who has worked for the Sydney Opera House and the ABC. She was born in The Philippines and moved to Australia in high school. She likes shoes, travelling and more shoes.Matt Cosgrove is the best-selling author/illustrator of Macca the Alpaca and the Epic Fail Tales series. He was born and raised in Western Sydney. He likes chocolate, avoiding social interactions and more chocolate.Eva and Matt met when they were randomly placed together for a group assignment at University twenty-five years ago and they’ve been collaborating ever since. They’ve made dinner, cakes, a mess, the bed, mistakes, memories, poor fashion decisions and two actual humans, but The Worst Week is their first book series together.✨ This episode was generously sponsored by Book Fair Australia! Book Fair Australia presents a literary festival that celebrates stories of all genres. We welcome traditionally and independently published authors alike to share their diverse range through dedicated stalls, discussion panels, workshops and more. A thrilling weekend fit for any book lover, come by with friends and family to get your books signed and explore a world of storytelling right in Sydney. The team at Book Fair Australia commit ourselves to bringing the fun back into a timeless hobby through engaging with local authors, focusing on our love for books, and connecting readers and writers.Follow along!Zanni's website Zanni's instagramThe Sunshine House Writers and Creatives FB GroupThis podcast episode is produced by Jen Pitch: @virtualcreatrix

Megan Daley is passionate about children’s literature and is the author of the bestselling book 'Raising Readers', published by UQP and the upcoming title 'The Beehive', to be published by Walker Books. She is the editor of Teacher, Teacher: an Anthology about Inspirational Educators.She is a Teacher Librarian in Brisbane and has been awarded the Queensland Teacher Librarian of the Year, as well as the national Dromkeen Librarian’s Award. A former national vice-president of the Children’s Book Council of Australia, Megan is also a sought after public speaker, literary judge, creator of the popular website Children's Books Daily and co-host of the Your Kid’s Next Read podcast. She also has a few more books in the pipeline. She also thinks sleep is overrated.Follow along!Zanni's website Zanni's instagramThe Sunshine House Writers and Creatives FB GroupThis podcast episode is produced by Jen Pitch: @virtualcreatrix

Apsara Baldovino spent most of her career in magazine publishing - working for marie claire, Girlfriend and David Jones magazines in advertising sales before taking the leap into the start-up world. By day, she is the Senior Brand Partnerships Manager for Australia’s newest gifting tech unicorn, and by night, Apsara writes stories for children who dream of owning a real unicorn!Most of her writing career has been spent putting together very serious sales pitches for very serious clients, so when she was on maternity leave with her second child she reconnected with her inner child to begin her journey with writing picture books.  Nature, the seasons, and the tiny wonders of our incredible world inspire her writing. Apsara’s passion is to dream up memorable characters, experiment with perspectives and create books that will be treasured for years to come.Apsara lives with her family by the sea in Sydney and also calls Melbourne home.  The Lucky Shack is Apsara's debut picture book, published by HarperCollins.----Amanda Lieber found a box stuffed with notebooks, scraps of paper, old menus, bits torn out of magazines and crumpled serviettes covered with her scribbles, observations, characters, plots and stories. That’s when she realised she was passionate about storytelling and needed to share her characters and their stories with the world.So far being an actress has been Amanda’s favourite career, she hopes that writing stories for children will be her next new favourite career.My Giant Sea Shell is available now, published by Little Pink Dog Books.----Claire Thompson is an Australian children’s writer with a passion – and nose – for sniffing out true stories to empower and inspire.Driven by her background in journalism, real people with extraordinary tales sit at the heart of Claire’s books.Growing up in Beatrix Potter’s English countryside, Claire has always loved inspiring books of courage and adventure. Pitching her first book idea to a publisher at 12 years old, she proudly received a hand-typed response encouraging her to keep following her dreams.Revisiting a love of children’s books in recent years, Claire completed The Australian Writers’ Centre picture book course.Claire’s debut picture book Lily The Inventor is out with Redback Publishing in 2023. Lily The Inventor is the remarkable true story of Lily Born, who invents a cup to help her Grandpa.Claire now lives in a coastal village, tucked away in northern Sydney. Over 20 years’ experience working in media and public relations has taught Claire the importance of marketing and networking.She is an active voice on author socials and regularly attends courses, conferences and catch-ups in the Australian kid lit community.Follow along!Zanni's website Zanni's instagramThe Sunshine House Writers and Creatives FB GroupThis podcast episode is produced by Jen Pitch: @virtualcreatrix

Anna Fienberg is the author of many popular and award-winning books for children of all ages. Her well-loved Tashi book series, illustrated by Kim Gamble, have inspired an animated series for television. Anna began writing stories when she was only eight years old. She says, 'I've always had a passion for words. I used to collect them, like some people collect stamps. Certain words gave me a special, billionaire feeling, and when uttered, seemed to have a magical effect.' She also gets her ideas from her dreams, people she meets, and snatches of overheard conversation.Anna was once Editor of School Magazine, where she read over a thousand books a year. She wrote plays and stories for the magazine, and then began writing her own stories. She has written picture books, short stories, junior novels, and fiction for young adults.Picasso and the Greatest Show on Earth is Anna's latest book.Follow along!Zanni's website Zanni's instagramThe Sunshine House Writers and Creatives FB GroupThis podcast episode is produced by Jen Pitch: @virtualcreatrix

In this special Saturday episode, Zanni chats to Jess McGeachin and Remy Lai, whose books have been shortlisted for the Environment Awards! Congratulations! Remy Lai writes and draws for kids. She is the author and illustrator of the critically acclaimed PIE IN THE SKY, FLY ON THE WALL, PAWCASSO, and the junior graphic novel series SURVIVING THE WILD. Her latest book is the spooky graphic novel GHOST BOOK, out on August 15th, 2023. She lives in Brisbane, Australia, where she can often be found exploring the woods with her two dogs—Poop Roller and Bossy Boots. Sometimes, she eats ice cream for breakfast.-----Jess McGeachin grew up in regional Victoria where he spent lots of time in the local library pouring over well-loved DK eyewitness books.   He has fond memories of visiting the old Melbourne Museum where his mum worked as a scientific illustrator, meticulously drawing strange sea-creatures in glass jars. Jess studied Communication Design at RMIT and worked as a graphic designer before turning his hand to writing and illustrating picture books. He loves telling stories about hidden places, like the underground world beneath your feet or a secret library waiting to be found. He is the author and illustrator of many beautiful books such as Deep, Kind, The Tree at Number 43, and High.Follow along!Zanni's website Zanni's instagramThe Sunshine House Writers and Creatives FB GroupThis podcast episode is produced by Jen Pitch: @virtualcreatrix

Allison Tait (A.L. Tait) is the internationally published bestselling author of middle-grade adventure series The Mapmaker Chronicles the Ateban Cipher novels, and the Maven & Reeve Mysteries.Her latest novel, THE FIRST SUMMER OF CALLIE McGEE, is a ‘cosy middle-grade mystery’. A multi-genre writer, creative writing teacher and speaker with many years’ experience in magazines, newspapers and online publishing, Allison is co-host of the top-rating Your Kid’s Next Read podcast and former co-host of the So You Want To Be A Writer podcast.She lives on the south coast of NSW (Australia) with her family.Follow along!Zanni's website Zanni's instagramThe Sunshine House Writers and Creatives FB GroupThis podcast episode is produced by Jen Pitch: @virtualcreatrix

Reece Carter is the best-selling author of A Girl Called Corpse.His love for stories — especially those filled with whimsy, magic, and a little bit of weirdness — began as a child growing up in rural Western Australia. There was an unfortunate lack of witches and ghosts on his family farm, and so Reece had to find them in books instead.It wasn’t until high school though that Reece thought to try his hand at writing his own stories. He loved it, and never looked back.Reece now lives in Sydney. When not reading or writing, he can usually be found talking to his dog, Hagrid, and hoping that one of these days Hagrid might decide to talk back.His next book, The Lonely Lighthouse of Elston-Fright, will be out this October.Follow along!Zanni's website Zanni's instagramThe Sunshine House Writers and Creatives FB GroupThis podcast episode is produced by Jen Pitch: @virtualcreatrix

Tristan Bancks tells stories for the page and screen. His new book for August 2023 is a suspense-thriller, Scar Town, for age 10+. His other books for kids and teens include Two Wolves, The Fall, Detention, Cop & Robber, Ginger Meggs and the Tom Weekly series. His books have won and been shortlisted for many awards, including a Children’s Book Council of Australia Honour Book, the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards, and the YABBA children’s choice book awards.Tristan is an author-advocate for literacy non-profit Room to Read. He is currently working with producers to develop a number of his books for the screen. He’s excited by the future of storytelling and inspiring others to create. ------Sarah Armstrong grew up in a family with no television, which meant she was a voracious (if fairly indiscriminate) reader, and was determined to be a writer. She became a journalist at ABC Radio where she won a Walkley Award. In the late 90s, she left the ABC and moved to the hills outside Byron Bay to devote herself to writing fiction. She wrote three acclaimed novels, including Salt Rain which was shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Award.Her first children’s novel is Big Magic, for readers aged 9+ (published by Hardie Grant in May 2022). Big Magic is a rip-roaring mix of modern day adventure, family drama, and magical realism, set in a travelling circus. The sequel, Magic Awry, is out in August 2023.Follow along!Zanni's website Zanni's instagramThe Sunshine House Writers and Creatives FB GroupThis podcast episode is produced by Jen Pitch: @virtualcreatrix

Click here to watch the video Karen mentions:  Endings: The Good, the Bad, and the Insanely Great by Michael Arndt.Karen Comer is a writer and freelance editor. She’s represented by Danielle Binks at Jacinta di Mase Management. She teaches a ten-month online writing course and presents writing workshops to schools and holiday programs. Her work as a freelance editor includes fiction for adults and children, as well as personal development, memoir, health, wellbeing and general business books.Karen’s young adult verse novel, Grace Notes, was published by Hachette in February 2023. She wrote this during Melbourne’s six lockdowns – nowhere to go, time to write!Her middle-grade verse novel, Sunshine on Vinegar Street, was published by Allen & Unwin in June. This book took her thirteen years to write and metamorphosed from a picture book to a middle-grade prose novel to a middle-grade verse novel.Karen hopes to introduce more readers to the lyrical wonders of verse novels.She lives in Melbourne with her family.Follow along!Zanni's website Zanni's instagramThe Sunshine House Writers and Creatives FB GroupThis podcast episode is produced by Jen Pitch: @virtualcreatrix

In this episode, Zanni sits down for a chat with Nick Stella. Nick lives in Sydney, where he works as a public servant. A Giant’s Trek, which started out as a bedtime story for his children, is his first novel.Follow along!Zanni's website Zanni's instagramThe Sunshine House Writers and Creatives FB GroupThis podcast episode is produced by Jen Pitch: @virtualcreatrix

Sean 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 best-selling children’s picture book, All Monkeys Love Bananas, published by Fremantle Press. His last picture book, Happy as a Hog Out of Mud, won the 2022 WAYRBA Picture Book of the Year Award and his latest book, Frank’s Red Hat, is shortlisted for the 2023 Indie Book of the Year Award and already a hit with kids in Australia, Korea, France and Denmark. His latest graphic novel, Friendly Bee and Friends, is out now. Internationally, he’s best known as a sculptor who uses CDs and DVDs to create breathtaking 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.Follow along!Zanni's website Zanni's instagramThe Sunshine House Writers and Creatives FB GroupThis podcast episode is produced by Jen Pitch: @virtualcreatrix

Dani Vee is host of the popular literary podcast Words and Nerds. With over 52,000 listeners every month and more than 500 episodes, the podcast has become a significant part of the Australian literary community. She has interviewed Matthew Reilly, Trent Dalton, Jackie French, Tara Moss, Andy Griffiths and many many more.​Dani also works in publicity and acquisitions at Larrikin House. You can find her facilitating panels or presenting at literary festivals such as Somerset Storyfest, BAD Sydney Crime Writers Festival, Kids YA Festival and The Sutherland Shire Writers' Festival, as well as podcasting at literary events.Dani loves nothing more than reading Oscar Wilde with a cup of camomile tea and dark chocolate. Book 2 of Dani's Epic Dad series, My Epic Dad! Takes us Fishing comes out on July 1.Follow along!Zanni's website Zanni's instagramThe Sunshine House Writers and Creatives FB GroupThis podcast episode is produced by Jen Pitch: @virtualcreatrix

Internationally published children’s author Amelia McInerney was born and raised in Melbourne but has spent her adult life living in the US, UK, Canada, as well as in four states of Australia. She has finally come to a stop in Canberra, where she spends most days writing kids' books, staring out the window thinking about kids' books, and occasionally just plain staring out the window. When she's not writing, thinking or staring, Amelia likes to help people while simultaneously playing with slime; an unusual combination that makes her other job doing ultrasounds highly suitable. She also enjoys yoga and snorkelling, although not simultaneously.Amelia’s first picture book, The Book Chook, was a CBCA Notable Book 2020 and was shortlisted for the Speech Pathology Australia Picture Book of the Year. Her subsequent titles include: Bad Crab, My Bird Bertie, Mary Had a Little Lamb: What Really Happened and Who Fed Zed? (the latter also shortlisted for SPA Book of the Year and long listed for ABDA Book of the Year.) By far, Amelia's favourite vegetable is the potato and she has a penchant for it in all cooked forms. She also has three kids, two hermit crabs and a husband.Neil, The Amazing Sea Cucumber is out now, and you should totally add it to your bookshelf!Follow along!Zanni's website Zanni's instagramThe Sunshine House Writers and Creatives FB GroupThis podcast episode is produced by Jen Pitch: @virtualcreatrix

Mary Anastasiou has been telling stories her whole life. From the outlandish and silly tales she told as a child growing up in Melbourne, Australia, to the response–driven marketing campaigns she delivers in her career as a freelance book designer for Larrikin House.The arrival of her son Luke in 2008 inspired Mary to fulfil her lifelong dream of writing fun, inspiring, and motivating stories that made him “giggle ‘til his belly hurt.” She hopes her books inspire your little ones to do the same.Follow along!Zanni's website Zanni's instagramThe Sunshine House Writers and Creatives FB GroupThis podcast episode is produced by Jen Pitch: @virtualcreatrix