Hello there and welcome to my little corner of the Internet. My name is Dr Helen Edwards and I'm an Australian author and speaker, represented by Debbie Golvan at Golvan Arts Management.
I'm also a HUGE nature lover and advocate for trying to protect and preserve our beautiful blue planet. All of my books feature nature in some way. I am an actual tree hugger (yes, you will find me standing with me arms around trees and my cheek up against them), adore all creatures great and small, and thrive best when I can see, smell, hear and touch nature.
I'm very excited to be a South Australian Literary Fellow with the State Library of South Australia (which means I am sort-of best friends with the library)!) supported by Writers' SA in 2025. I am using their huge catalogue of books, papers, journals, maps and more, to develop a new magical historical novel featuring the wreck of the S.S Admella in South Australia and the Cape Jaffa lighthouse, as well as exploring the migration of blue whales, themes of ocean conservation and celestial navigation. I will share more as this book evolves. It has also been supported by the History Trust of South Australia’s South Australian History Fund.
The Rebels of Mount Buffalo
My first middle-grade novel, The Rebels of Mount Buffalo is out now with Riveted Press. With a neurodivergent main character and inspiring real-life mountain guide from the 1890s, Guide Alice Manfield, it's a captivating time-slip tale in which a girl lost to grief meets a daring rebel on a misty mountain who guides her to rediscover her courage and find her way home.
The Rebels of Mount Buffalo was shortlisted in the Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Awards.
Which means, some pretty important people thought the book was really good! It was a proud moment to put a shiny sticker on my copies of The Rebels of Mount Buffalo.
It was also longlisted in the DANZ - The Diversity in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand Children's Book Award.
This award is judged by kids! So, it really meant a lot to me to be on that list. It's also about highlighting diverse books, which is very important as someone who is neurodivergent and lives with chronic conditions.
Legend of the Lighthouse Moon
My second middle-grade novel, Legend of the Lighthouse Moon, was published on 2nd October 2024 by Riveted Press. Set in the Cape Willoughby Lighthouse on Kangaroo Island in 1970, Legend of the Lighthouse Moon is a dazzling tale of family, resilience, and the enduring magic of the sea. Join Mona McKenna on a journey of self-discovery where the whispers of the past guide her towards a future filled with hope, love, and legends brought to life.
In April 2025 Legend of the Lighthouse Moon WON first prize in Category Two of the Forevability Awards. Created by children’s author and disability advocate Tabitha Page, Forevabilty aims to make it easy to find books, podcasts and more which focus on disability, illness and other specialized subjects. They hope to inspire, empower, teach and support.
These awards were judged by people who know a lot about books, including authors, illustrators, book sellers and reviewers. Once again, I was very proud and very happy to get those shiny stickers on my book! This story has a main character called Mona who has type 1 diabetes and it is a very personal story for me.
With thanks to Arts SA for supporting both The Rebels of Mount Buffalo and Legend of the Lighthouse Moon.
On Gallant Wings
My third middle-grade novel, On Gallant Wings, is also out now with Riveted Press. Published on 2nd April 2025, On Gallant Wings is a sweeping WWII story about family, courage, and knowing when to break the rules.
As the war comes dangerously close to home, 13-year-old Ava Birdwhistle is pushed to the brink, as she faces a world where the rules have changed, and battles to stay connected to family, and her beloved pigeon Essie.
From the bombing of Darwin, to the top secret Catalina Flying Boat Base at Lake Boga, and the stories of the men and women of the RAAF and WAAAF who worked there, to the internment of Japanese people, and the brave pigeons of the Australian Corps of Signals Pigeon Service, On Gallant Wings brings together many little-known aspects of how WWII affected Australia at home.
The idea for this story began over 20 years ago!! It didn't take me that long to write it! It was however, about six years from when I first began drafting the story, to it being published! It was definitely worth the wait.
The Disappearing Circus
The Disappearing Circus co-written with award-winning author Kate Gordon is coming on 30th July with Riveted Press. It's a spellbinding tale of friendship, hope, and summoning the courage to become the hero of your own story. A breathtaking blend of magic, mythology, and heart, The Disappearing Circus reminds us that friendship and courage can be found in the most unexpected of places, that the future is ours to hold—and that some stories are too powerful to ever truly disappear.
Stay tuned for more!
Literary Agents
I'm represented by Lamont Authors, CKT Speakers Agency, Speakers Ink and Becky's Literary Bookings, for bookings at schools, libraries, festivals, conferences and events. More about how you can book me to speak at your school, library, festival or event here.
A bit about me!
I'm Mum to three beautiful sons and live in Adelaide with my family and assortment of rescue pets. 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. In my PhD thesis, I examined how we can better support women with type 1 diabetes as they go through the pregnancy journey.
I've lived with type 1 diabetes since 1979 and anxiety and ADHD for much of my life, both of these 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 one, my teachers sent me to the library to choose my own readers, because I had already read the entire suite of junior readers! They were part of my journey to deciding I wanted to be an author one day.
I won an award for a book I'd written when I was six years old, during Children's Book Week. It still takes pride of place and even has my six-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 a ground-breaking 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. My sustainable blog posts are now here on my writing site. I studied interior design and worked as a sustainable interior decorator for a time too. I have a lot of interests and have tried lots of things!
After completing my PhD in 2019, I decided it was time to follow my long-held childhood dreams and have a go at becoming a traditionally published children's author. I enrolled in a course with the Australian Writers Centre, began writing a middle-grade manuscript, networked with the literary community, studied and developed my craft, pitched to agents and publishers, wrote some more, and was picked up by my wonderful agent.
I then wrote and pitched, wrote and pitched, and dealt with many rejections, until eventually, we received an acceptance for The Rebels of Mount Buffalo from Riveted Press, where my supportive and insightful publisher Rowena Beresford could see the magic glimmering within my words. I am forever very grateful to both Debbie Golvan and Rowena Beresford for their continued belief in me and my stories.
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 never shy away from being a rebel when it matters, to be thoughtful, to be kind.
I am ever grateful for the opportunities to learn and develop my craft, in a bookish community filled with people who are bright, caring and genuine. Australian literary folk are truly remarkable.
I am even more lucky to be able to visit schools and libraries and bookshops, spending time with children and young people who read my books, talking about the stories, the history behind them, how I became a writer, helping them to write their own stories, and discovering more about their own dreams. If you're a young person visiting my website, I hope to meet you one day and find out more about you.
I hope that my stories help readers to see what matters, what is true and real, and that they are not alone. Books truly are windows and mirrors.
I hope all children and young people see themselves in the stories they read - the big stories and the quiet ones - and that they are left holding onto hope.
Because hope is everything and it's stories that will change the world.
Helen
xx
