The Sunshine House

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

If Vikki seems distracted, it's probably because she's thinking about a new story. She writes most nights and is constantly updating the notes app on her phone to keep track of new ideas.So far, three of Vikki's stories are being made into real-life picture books. Her first book, Poppy, The Queen and The Seat is published by Red Paper Kite and is available to buy now. Her second book will follow soon after.Vikki is largely inspired by her two children, who give her most of the ideas for her stories.She currently splits her time between Milton Keynes, UK and Melbourne, Australia.- - - - - - - -Caterina is a self-taught artist who studied science before deciding to pursue a career in illustration. She paints using gouache, but she also loves working with graphite.Her illustration style ‘is a work in progress’, and her work is inspired by street photographers and French artists.When she is not illustrating, Caterina likes cooking, singing, reading and... drawing. She is interested in the little things of life. Snoozette, her first picture book is being adapted for stage performance by the French Theatre in Perth, Australia.She lives near Florence, Italy.Follow along!Zanni's website Zanni's instagramThe Sunshine House Writers and Creatives FB GroupThis podcast episode is produced by Jen Pitch: @virtualcreatrix

Allison Rushby writes about all sorts of things. Today it’s tinsel jackets and therapy pom poms, sisters who can wish and wonderfully odd authoress aunts. Tomorrow you might find her writing about haunted houses, cursed lockets, doppelgängers and bewitched kittens. Allison does all of this fuelled by copious cups of tea.When she's not writing, you can find her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can also find her adminning (surely that’s a word?!) over at Your Kid’s Next Read, the fabulous Facebook group all about putting the perfect book into little readers’ hands.Allison has two personal assistants, Harry and Titus, who you can follow on Instagram as well.Learn more about the SEVEN amazing books she will be releasing this year through her website.Follow along!Zanni's website Zanni's instagramThe Sunshine House Writers and Creatives FB GroupThis podcast episode is produced by Jen Pitch: @virtualcreatrix

Sarah Speedie lives in beautiful beachside Melbourne with her husband, two children and their bulldog. After working with numbers for way too many years, following the birth of her two children, Sarah re-discovered her childhood love of writing.She has a particular passion for stories that make you giggle, and when she isn't lost in a sea of words working on a new story, she can usually be found dreaming up her next big idea.--------Jacinta Froud has been writing stories and poems since she was knee high to a grasshopper. That’s old people speak for kind of tiny. She is a teacher and a Mum to three children, who love listening to her silly stories and provide constructive criticism when poked.Jacinta has been working with local primary school students as an ‘Author in Residence’. She often posts updates and inspirations on her instagram page. She is enthusiastic about inspiring young people to write great stories.Her second book, The Perfect Book, stars Finn and Mr Persnickety in their endeavours to find best friend Ginny, the perfect book for her birthday. It was designed by Ozan Tortop from Tadaa Book and illustrated by Gökçe Yavas Önal.-----Toni D’Alia is a Melbourne-based author of children’s books and contemporary fiction. With a background in primary education, Toni writes heartwarming stories to inspire, educate, empower and entertain. Her children’s stories have humour, heart and a gentle focus on wellbeing and the environment.Follow along!Zanni's website Zanni's instagramThe Sunshine House Writers and Creatives FB GroupThis podcast episode is produced by Jen Pitch: @virtualcreatrix

Cassy Polimeni is a freelance editor and children’s/YA author who has always loved words and faraway places. Her past jobs include travel writer, magazine editor, TV book reviewer and airport chauffeur. The Garden at the End of the World is her first picture book. In 2022 she was awarded an Australian Society of Authors/Copyright Australia Mentorship to develop a middle grade novel, also set in Norway.----A big thank you goes to Inês F. Oliveira for sponsoring this episode! Her book, Calvin and the Sugar Apples, is available for pre-order now!Follow along!Zanni's website Zanni's instagramThe Sunshine House Writers and Creatives FB GroupThis podcast episode is produced by Jen Pitch: @virtualcreatrix

Lauren Draper is a writer and marketing professional from Melbourne, Australia. Her debut young adult novel, The Museum of Broken Things, was released  in 2022 by Text Publishing, and shortlisted for the Readings Prize. She is currently represented by the Annabel Barker Literary Agency. Her work has appeared in Kill Your Darlings, Dumbo Feather and various publications from Hardie Grant Media. Her contemporary fiction manuscript was long-listed in the 2019 Richell Prize from Hachette. 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 chats to Janeen Brian and Cherie Dignam about The Fix-it Princess, published by Walker Books.Janeen Brian is an award-winning, children’s author and poet with over 100 books published in both trade and educational publishing. She enjoys writing picture books, junior fiction, poetry, novels and non-fiction.Janeen was the recipient of the 2012 Adelaide Festival of Literature Carclew Fellowship and in 2009 also received a May Gibbs’ Children’s Literature Trust Fellowship.She loves reading, creating mosaics, aqua-aerobics, Yoga, walking, gardening, travelling, craft work, singing, watching theatre and films and spending time with her family and friends.Janeen lives in the seaside city of Glenelg, in Adelaide, South Australia with her husband. She has two daughters and four grandchildren.-----Cherie Dignam was born in North Dublin, Ireland and now lives in Perth, Western Australia. Cherie originally studied Animation Drawing Studies at Ballyfermot Senior College Dublin before completing her BA Hons in Creative Illustration at Cranfield University in the UK.   Cherie previously worked in Animation studios in Dublin, working on feature films like All Dogs go to Heaven, Rockadoodle, and A Troll in Central Park. Cherie also freelanced at Aardman Studios, Bristol, just after completing her Arts degree and still enjoys creating 3D objects as part of her drawing process. More recently, she has been illustrating children’s books.Cherie is an aspiring illustrator who enjoys the challenge of a wide range of subjects. Inspired by lots of things, street life, curious commuters, office oddballs and everyday household items, she enjoys creating weird and engaging characters.Follow along!Zanni's website Zanni's instagramThe Sunshine House Writers and Creatives FB GroupThis podcast episode is produced by Jen Pitch: @virtualcreatrix

Lian Tanner has worked as a teacher, a tourist bus driver, a juggler, an editor and a professional actor. She has been dynamited while scuba diving and arrested while busking. She once spent a week in the jungles of Papua New Guinea, hunting for a Japanese soldier left over from the Second World War. It took her a while to realise that all this was preparation for becoming a writer.Lian’s books include the best-selling Keepers trilogy, the Hidden series, the Rogues trilogy, A Clue for Clara, Rita’s Revenge, and picture book Ella and the Ocean (illustrated by Jonathan Bentley). Her books have been translated into eleven languages and won many awards, including two Aurealis Awards for Best Australian Children’s Fantasy, a NSW Premier’s Literary Award, a Tasmanian Literary Award, and a Sisters-in-Crime Davitt Award for Best Children’s Crime Novel.New releases in 2023 are Spellhound, a whimsical fantasy for 7-11 year olds, and When the Lights Went Out, a picture book illustrated by Jonathan Bentley.Follow along!Zanni's website Zanni's instagramThe Sunshine House Writers and Creatives FB GroupThis podcast episode is produced by Jen Pitch: @virtualcreatrix

Allayne is an internationally published Children's and Young Adult author who lives in South Australia. She plays the guitar, sings, and sometimes she illustrates. Allayne is a multiple arts grant recipient and a South Australian Premier’s Reading Challenge Ambassador. She's served on literary boards, and her novels have been listed for various awards.Paper Planes (Scholastic) was a 2016 CBCA Notable, shortlisted for the Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature, and is included in the Australian Heritage Literary Project Untapped Collection. A Cardboard Palace (MidnightSun Publishing) was a 2018 CBCA Notable, published in Sweden. Our Little Secret (Scholastic) was listed for the Golden Inkys, and in 2022 a new edition was released by Ligature Press. The Centre of My Everything (Penguin RandomHouse) was listed in the 2019 Davitt Awards and shortlisted in the 2020 Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature. Sensitive (UQP) is published in Russia, and was shortlisted in the 2020 Australian Speech Pathology Awards, and is a 2023 Outstanding Book for Young People with Disabilities - awarded by IBBY - International Board on Books for Young People. That Thing I Did was released March 2022 and has received rave reviews, including five stars in the Australian Book Review. Selfie - YA novel (Text Publishing) is out April 2023. Follow along!Zanni's website Zanni's instagramThe Sunshine House Writers and Creatives FB GroupThis podcast episode is produced by Jen Pitch: @virtualcreatrix

Jeremy Lachlan was born and raised on Wiradjuri country, in Griffith, New South Wales, Australia. A former bookseller, he completed his honours degree in creative writing at the University of Canberra in 2004, and now calls Sydney home. His debut novel, Jane Doe and the Cradle of All Worlds, has been published in over 15 countries around the world, translated into nine languages, and was the 2019 Australian Book Industry Award winner for Book of the Year for Older Children. Its second part, Jane Doe and the Key of All Souls, was shortlisted for the same award in 2021, but all of this pales in comparison to the $100 he once took home in a karaoke competition.He came up with the idea for the Jane Doe Chronicles while lost in the Cairo Museum. Book three in the series, Jane Doe and the Quill of All Tales - the start of a new epic duology - hits shelves this month.  Follow along!Zanni's website Zanni's instagramThe Sunshine House Writers and Creatives FB GroupThis podcast episode is produced by Jen Pitch: @virtualcreatrix

Zanni sits down to catch up with Rory H Mather, Ashleigh Barton, and Amy Dunjey to learn all about their process, what they're working on, and what they're looking forward to in the coming year. Special mention: Wild Things  by Bruce Handy, a book about classic American children's books, and revisiting them as an adult. Rory H. Mather, like most small children, enjoys a good picture book…the thing is Rory is not small, or a child, in fact he is 6ft tall (which basically means he is a giant) and recently entered his 30s (which almost certainly means he is old).He lives in Toowoomba, Qld where his hobbies are reading, writing and table tennis – some say he could have gone pro. He is also quite partial to dogs, cake, pies and his lovely wife Georgia – although he only eats the cakes and pies.For a time, Rory worked in public libraries where his role was delivering kidlit programs such as story time and baby rhyme time…he even got to play with some robots.------------------Amy Dunjey 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.Through her work as a speech pathologist and lecturer, Amy endeavours to pass on her love for words. Amy aspires to write stories that ignite little imaginations and instil the same love for words and adventure that she treasures.Amy hails from Western Australia, where she lives with her husband, twin daughters and sandwich-thief greyhound.------------As a child, Ashleigh Barton would borrow ten library books at a time and decided, at precisely age six, that she wanted to be a writer. Several years, a law degree and a couple of full-time jobs later, Ashleigh has finally made her six-year-old self proud. Now the author of the picture books What Do You Call Your Grandpa?, What Do You Call Your Grandma? and What Do You Do To Celebrate?, Ashleigh loves writing stories for children of all ages. She also works as a freelance copywriter, and prior to this worked in marketing and publicity for children's books at a major publisher, running campaigns for internationally renowned authors and illustrators. Ashleigh lives in Sydney with her husband, dog, and three little bookworms.Follow along!Zanni's website Zanni's instagramThe Sunshine House Writers and Creatives FB GroupThis podcast episode is produced by Jen Pitch: @virtualcreatrix

Andrea Rowe is a best-selling award-winning picture book author, freelance writer and nationally awarded writer of short stories,and late night book reader. Her debut picture book Jetty Jumping, illustrated by Hannah Sommerville was awarded the 2022 CBCA Picture Book of the Year – Early Childhood.Andrea writes books for children, young adults and grown-ups too. She combines her nostalgic celebration of culture, family diversity, and the environment in our everyday lives with the questions and conversations that draw us together.Andrea believes in the power of stories, of reading out loud and in secret spots surrounded by cushions and stacks of books. She lives on Bunurong Country, in the sand dunes of the Mornington Peninsula, where her writing days are fuelled by a secret stash of Cherry Ripes.Andrea and Hannah have teamed up once again with their next book Sunday Skating released in June 2023.Follow along!Zanni's website Zanni's instagramThe Sunshine House Writers and Creatives FB GroupThis podcast episode is produced by Jen Pitch: @virtualcreatrix

In the first episode of Season 2, Zanni chats to close friend and co-brainstormer, Kiah Thomas, who started telling stories when she was a kid; reimagining the endings in books she read. She rediscovered her love of kids books when she had children of her own, and started writing beginnings as well as endings. Kiah is passionate about books that kids and adults can enjoy together. She lives on the south coast of NSW with her husband, three children and at least seven stuffed toy penguins.Links: Check out Jessica Brody's book Save the Cat! Writes a Novel and here is a link to a blog article Jessica wrote about using the Save the Cat beat sheet.Follow along!Zanni's website Zanni's instagramThe Sunshine House Writers and Creatives FB GroupThis podcast episode is produced by Jen Pitch: @virtualcreatrix

Nova Weetman lives in Melbourne with her family. She has written for TV and is the author of many middle grade and young adult novels. The Secrets We Keep was shortlisted for the Readings Children’s Book Prize, the Speech Pathology Book of the Year Awards and the ABIA Awards. The sequel, The Secrets We Share, was a 2018 CBCA Notable Book and won the KROC Kids Reading Oz Choice Awards, NT – Best Fiction for Years 7 to 9. It was also shortlisted for the Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Awards. Nova’s middle grade novel Sick Bay was a CBCA Notable Book and shortlisted for the ABIA Awards. In 2022, The Edge of Thirteen was shortlisted for the ABIAs Small Publishers' Children's Book of the Year and was a CBCA Notable Book: Younger Readers.Her latest book, The Jammer, is a poignant story about broken bones and healing hearts. Follow along!Zanni's website Zanni's instagramThe Sunshine House Writers and Creatives FB GroupThis podcast episode is produced by Jen Pitch: @virtualcreatrix

Andy Griffiths is one of Australia’s most popular children’s authors. He and illustrator Terry Denton have collaborated on more than 33 bestselling books since their first title, Just Tricking, was published in 1997.In Australia, Andy and Terry’s books have sold over 10 million copies, won 80 children’s choice awards and 10 Australian Book Industry Awards—including Book of the Year for The 52-Storey Treehouse in 2015.Their much-loved Treehouse Series has been embraced by children around the world and is now published in more than 35 countries. Five of the books in the series have been adapted for the stage and have all had sell-out seasons at the Sydney Opera house, as well as highly successful seasons in the Netherlands, New Zealand and America.Andy is a passionate advocate for literacy and in 2015 was awarded the Dromkeen Medal to honour his outstanding contribution to Australian children’s literature. He is also an ambassador for both The Indigenous Literacy Foundation and the Pyjama Foundation.Follow along!Zanni's website Zanni's instagramThe Sunshine House Writers and Creatives FB GroupThis podcast episode is produced by Jen Pitch: @virtualcreatrix

Pip Harry is an Australian children’s author and journalist. Her middle grade novel, The Little Wave, won the CBCA 2020 Book of the Year Award and the Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year. It was shortlisted for the 2020 NSW Premier's Literary Awards – Ethel Turner Prize for Young People's Literature. Her young adult novels include I’ll Tell You Mine, Head of the River, and Because of You, shortlisted for the CBCA Book of the Year Awards: Older Reader, Victorian Premier's Literary Award  and Queensland Literary Awards. Her latest novels include Are You There, Buddha? a CBCA Notable and shortlisted for the 2022 NSW Premier's Literary Awards, and August & Jones. Follow along!Zanni's website Zanni's instagramThe Sunshine House Writers and Creatives FB GroupThis podcast episode is produced by Jen Pitch: @virtualcreatrix

Dara Read was born in Australia in the 80s and was adopted by her mum and dad who love parties as much as she does. Did we mention that Dara loves parties? She does, especially if she can dance!When Dara met her birth parents and their families, she danced for joy - on the inside! Her latest book, We Love You Hundreds and Thousands is all about foster care, adoption, and growing up in a diverse family. Dara now lives by the beach in Sydney with her family. Her favourite things are cuddles with her kids, being in the ocean and almost anything that sparkles. On the more serious side, Dara is a writer and social justice lawyer. She has worked as a children’s lawyer and youth worker. She has also been a senior ministerial adviser for children who are adopted and in out-of-home care.Follow along!Zanni's website Zanni's instagramThe Sunshine House Writers and Creatives FB GroupThis podcast episode is produced by Jen Pitch: @virtualcreatrix

When Sally Rippin discovered her child was struggling to read, the best-selling children’s author assumed it would sort itself out over time. She couldn’t have been more wrong. Her son’s dyslexia and ADHD went undiagnosed for years, leaving him further and further behind his peers, and labelled as ‘difficult’ by an education system that couldn’t easily cater to neurodivergent kids. And by the time Sally learned how to advocate for her child, it was – almost – too late. Sally's newest book, Wild Things, is about how we learn to read and what can happen if we don’t, through the eyes of a parent who did everything the wrong way. Through meticulous research, interviews with educational experts and conversations with neurodivergent adults, Rippin shares her brilliant and eye-opening insights into how we can help all kids find the joy in reading, and advocate for them within the limited mainstream schooling system – and maybe even help shift the system entirely. After all, they say school isn’t for everyone, but if everyone must go to school – then why not?Follow along!Zanni's website Zanni's instagramThe Sunshine House Writers and Creatives FB GroupThis podcast episode is produced by Jen Pitch: @virtualcreatrix

Tobias is an author and editor from Sydney, Australia. His debut young adult fiction novel, the ABIA Award-shortlisted ANYTHING BUT FINE, is out now in Australia and New Zealand (Penguin Teen) and in the US (Page Street YA). His second YA novel, TAKE A BOW, NOAH MITCHELL, is out now in Aus/NZ and coming to the US Jan 3, 2023.​Originally from Ballarat, Tobias worked for ten years as a performer, touring Australia and New Zealand with musicals such as Mary Poppins, CATS, Singin' in the Rain, and Guys and Dolls. In 2019, he edited and published UNDERDOG, the first #LoveOzYA short story anthology for previously unpublished Aussie young adult fiction writers. Also in 2019, he wrote the cabaret show Siblingship, which played to sold out audiences in Sydney, Melbourne, and Canberra. Tobias is a passionate member of the #LoveOzYA and LGBTQ+ communities, and currently works part-time in theatre marketing.Follow along!Zanni's website Zanni's instagramThe Sunshine House Writers and Creatives FB GroupThis podcast episode is produced by Jen Pitch: @virtualcreatrix

Alice Boyle is a teacher and author living in Naarm/Melbourne. She has written for SBS Voices and the Stella Prize, and her short story ‘The Exchange’ was published in the Black Inc. anthology Growing Up Queer in Australia. In 2019 she was highly commended for the Wheeler Centre’s Next Chapter program, and in 2021 she won the Text Prize for her debut novel Dancing Barefoot.Follow along!Zanni's website Zanni's instagramThe Sunshine House Writers and Creatives FB GroupThis podcast episode is produced by Jen Pitch: @virtualcreatrix