Welcome! I'm an Australian children's author writing diverse stories of nature, magic and history. I am represented by Golvan Arts Management My debut middle-grade novel - an Australian historical fiction time-slip adventure, set at Mt Buffalo, inspired by and featuring Guide Alice Manfield, will be published in 2023, by Riveted Press!
I have a PhD in Psychology and worked in mental health for many years. On my blog I write book reviews, feature other Australian authors, and share my own books and writing. I am available for author talks and workshops. I am also a freelance writer and social media manager and you can see more here. Shop at my little Books, Tea and Vintage shop here.
I've had type 1 diabetes since 1979 and live with anxiety and ADHD. I like to include characters in my stories who are neurodivergent and/or who live with physical and mental health conditions, out in the world, having adventures. I'm passionate about inspiring action for our planet and encouraging people to understand how important nature is to all of us. Animals and the environment feature in all of my stories.
I look forward to sharing stories with you, because they really can change the world.
x Helen
Latest From My Blog
The Magic of Mountains
I was thinking recently, about why mountains often seem to feature in my stories. Mountains have always been magical to me. As a small girl, living in Port Augusta, South Australia, camping in the purple-blue mountains of the Flinders Ranges was a regular part of our lives. Later, we moved to the very flat wheat-coloured…
Read MoreWhalesong by Kate Gordon
“There is no now and no then, only in between and always. Open the box. Come and see.” CBCA Award-winning author Kate Gordon, is one of my favourite authors. Everything I have read of hers, I have loved – for her beautiful, lyrical prose, and for her insight into human beings, our mental health and…
Read MoreEvery Thing We Keep by Di Walker
How do you leave a family behind? Trailing her orange suitcase and a heart full of worry, thirteen-year-old Agatha is about to go home. She has been in and out of foster care for years, but her latest new life, lived with naval precision with Katherine, Lawson and their dog, Chief, has proved to be…
Read MoreThe Boy Who Tried To Shrink His Name by Sandhya Parappukkaran & Michelle Pereira
When Zimdalamashkermishkada starts a new school, he knows he’s got to do something about his long name. When no amount of shrinking, folding or crumpling works, he simply settles for Zim – but deep down, it doesn’t feel right. It’s not until a new friend sees him for who he truly is that Zimdalamashkermishkada finds…
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