Welcome! My name is Dr Helen Edwards. I'm an Adelaide-based children's author who weaves diverse stories of nature, magic and history.
I'm represented by Golvan Arts Management for my literary works and by Lamont Authors for school bookings.
My debut middle-grade novel, The Rebels of Mount Buffalo, is out now with Riveted Press, distributed by Simon & Schuster.
With a neurodivergent main character and an inspiring real-life mountain guide from the 1890s, 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.
It was recently longlisted in the DANZ - The Diversity in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand Children's Book Award. This award has been created to recognise, award, and celebrate diverse children’s fiction. This means a children’s book published in Australia or New Zealand which 'pushes boundaries, challenges stereotypes, and celebrates diverse and marginalised people and communities.'
You can order your copy from me here and from Riveted Press here . It's also available in many bookshops and libraries. If you can't find it in your local bookshop or library, just ask them to get it in for you!
See more about The Rebels of Mount Buffalo here.
My next middle-grade novel - Legend of the Lighthouse Moon - is coming in November 2024 with the fabulous Riveted Press
I absolutely love this story about 13-year-old Mona McKenna, a girl living in 1970 with type 1 diabetes in an island lighthouse, featuring the stunning backdrop of Kangaroo Island and the gorgeous and endangered sea lions, as well as drawing on the true history of Cape Willoughby Lighthouse. As usual, I'm weaving nature, plenty of magic, and true history to create a very special and diverse story that's full of heart and wonder, inspired by my grandmothers who were both born on islands in the UK, the legends from these regions and my life growing up with type 1 diabetes. With thanks to Arts SA for supporting this project.
Cover reveal, blurb, pre-order details, and more details for Legend of The Lighthouse Moon are coming soon!! Sign up to the newsletter to keep up to date with details on release dates, pre-orders and events.
A Little Bit About Me!
I have a PhD in Psychology and before becoming an Australian children's author, I worked in mental health for many years. I've done all sorts of things in my life, including founding an award-winning charity and online counselling service, supporting thousands of people with diabetes across the world. I was even a state finalist in the Australian of the Year Awards for this work!
After completing my PhD in Psychology, I decided to follow my life-long dream to become a children's author and here I am! I'm passionate about inspiring action for our beautiful, fragile planet and nature features in all of my books. I find history fascinating and uncover stories that may have been forgotten, or hidden, and bring them into the light. I also believe that fantastical things can happen and see magic in the everyday.
More about me here.
Sign up to The Story Weaver for all the latest details about my own books, book reviews and recommendations, and more. More info about bookings for author talks and workshops available here.
x Helen
Thanks for subscribing! Please check your email for further instructions.
Latest From My Blog
Our Dreaming by Kirli Saunders & Dub Leffler
Goodjagah, little one, walk with me … I want to tell you our Dreaming as the Elders told it to me. Our Dreaming is a beautiful and uplifting picture book, by award-winning storytellers, Gunai woman Kirli Saunders and Bigambul man Dub Leffler. It explores a deep love and respect for Country and all her spirits…past,…
Read More
Five Minutes with Donna van Loenen #LoveAusAuthors
Donna van Loenen says she writes only when she is inspired do so. She has more unfinished stories than finished ones, but finds writing groups bring out the best in her, due to the deadlines, and the inspiration to flesh out an idea for a storyline to share in group. In her non-fiction writing, which…
Read More
Gus and The Starlight by Victoria Carless
Have you ever wanted to live in a movie theatre? Or, if you’re old enough to remember, even a drive-in? I am old enough to remember the magic of the drive-in; watching a story unfold on the screen against the backdrop of the stars, snuggled safely inside your car, or sitting out under a blanket,…
Read More
Five Minutes with Anna Featherstone #LoveAusAuthors
Anna Featherstone writes about things that make her ‘happy, curious, furious and tingly’. She says she likes to dive in and research information, because it helps her clarify things in her own mind and make sense of the world. She also says that it’s a challenge and it’s fun and it’s more comfortable than running…
Read More
Tips on Creating a Sustainable Spring Garden
Amanda Stewart and her husband Paul, are the proprietors of Barrow and Bench Mitre10, a delightful hardware store and garden centre, located in Adelaide’s inner Southern suburbs. Amanda has long had a connection to the land and the natural environment. Her childhood was spent on a broad acre farm in rural South Australia, where local…
Read More
Aster’s Good, Right Things by Kate Gordon
Kate Gordon creates characters that you can identify with, no matter how old you are. Her writing is insightful, moving and beautiful. She can suffuse even the darkest moments with humour and build lyrical worlds that draw you into their centre, as you walk alongside the characters. Aster’s Good, Right Things, was the winner of…
Read More
Five Minutes with Rod Taylor #LoveAusAuthors
Rod Taylor says the world is a fascinating, complicated, sometimes bright, sometimes frightening place. It’s all of these things that lead him to write; the stories and the ideas. ‘When someone reads your words, you are for a moment, connected. Your thoughts enter their world for a time and, if they resonate, they stay with…
Read More
Diversity in Children’s Books
When I was 5 years old, I developed asthma that would regularly land me in bed, very sick. At 12, I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, which was devastating. I remember having anxiety as far back as my memories travel. I suffered undiagnosed depression as a teenager. In adulthood I lived through post-natal depression…
Read More
Elsewhere Girls by Emily Gale and Nova Weetman
It’s midnight and I’m alone in the kitchen eating a cold potato scallop. Coach O’Call would say something like, ‘That’s not what I expect from a scholarship girl!’ because I have to be up for squad training in five hours and I’m not supposed to go near potato scallops, and—oh, yeah—it’s my fifth. Elsewhere Girls,…
Read More
