Welcome. My name is Dr Helen Edwards. I'm an Australian author of books for children and young adults, represented by Debbie Golvan at Golvan Arts Management.
My Debut middle-grade novel - an Australian historical fiction time-slip, set at Mt Buffalo, inspired by and featuring Guide Alice Manfield, will be published with Riveted Press in 2023!
I am available for author talks and workshops and offer freelance writing services with a particular interest in arts, health, not-for-profit, education and eco businesses. I am available to speak at workshops and events, libraries, book shops, schools and community gatherings, on a wide range of topics.
Read my showcase of Australian authors with the #LoveAusAuthors blog series - featuring Australian Authors, their books and their lives.
I'm Mama to 3 beautiful sons and live in Adelaide with my family. I've been blogging since 2001 and have written literally thousands of blog posts. I've also written for print and digital magazines, journals, academic conferences, blogs and websites. I worked as a social worker for many years and have a PhD in Psychology.
I've lived with type 1 diabetes since 1979 and anxiety and ADHD for much of my life, both diagnosed in adulthood. I have also experienced depression. These were difficult times in my life, but I managed to move through them and learn a lot about myself and how to navigate the world.
I've been reading and writing since I was tiny and most of my spare time as a child was spent with my head buried in a book. When I was in grade 1, the teachers sent me to the library to choose my own readers, because I had already read the entire suite of junior readers!
I won an award for a book I'd written when I was 6 years old, during Children's Book Week. It still takes pride of place and even has my 6-year-old handwriting in the front Published by Helen Wilde, Written by Helen Wilde (my name before I got married). The book on the left was my prize!
Later, after my family moved to a different town, my parents taught at the area school I attended. In the holidays the most magical part was being allowed to roam the library and select an enormous box of books for the break. I would read the back of a cereal pack at the breakfast table if there was nothing else nearby!
I founded an online counselling service for people with diabetes in 2001, well before there was any social media. It won many awards and grants. I was an Australian of the Year state finalist and a Telstra Business Woman of the Year state finalist in 2016 for my charitable work and you can see the archived site here.
In 2013 I started The Sustainable Home Hub (then Recycled Interiors) as an outlet for my interest in design, decoration, the arts and our planet. It took off quickly and I gathered more than 100,000 followers on social media. My sustainable blog posts are now here on my writing site.
I grew up in country towns in South Australia, with my younger sister and my parents, who taught me the value of people and planet. They filled us up with music, art, books, dancing, the sky, the stars, the ocean, forests of trees, peaks of mountains, camping under stars, many roadtrips, many animals, lots of laughter and plenty of love.
Most importantly, my parents taught me to notice the world and all of the small, magical moments, to notice people and to respect and celebrate diversity, to stand up and fight for what matters and what is right, to be thoughtful, to be kind.
I hope that my stories help you to see what matters. I want all children and young people to see themselves in the stories they read, the big stories and the quiet ones, and to be left holding onto hope. Because hope is everything and it's stories that will change the world.
Helen
xx
