MARLOW

Marlow has lived in every Capital City in Australia and many smaller towns and isolated regions of this great country, Australia. A seasoned traveller and prolific writer she has given us some greatly entertaining stories. She has a fertile imagination which shines through her works. And a sense of community.

To become a published writer is a life long dream for myself and many others like me. I have always loved writing fiction stories. It is something that has been with me since high school and my family on seeing my achievement in bringing the pocketbooks to life are excited for me. My children who are grown-ups now, love my stories, they are my biggest fans. I hope you will too.

As the first person with my very own pocket books, I feel I must say something special. Firstly, thank you to the readers who are purchasing my pocket books and the many emails I receive. I can't tell you how exciting it is to see your own titles. The idea of the pocket book is being said to be a wonderful outlet for short story writers and a fabulous idea as a handy reading format.

Thank you to those who are supporting me in my quest to show the way in becoming a published writer. I have been a frustrated short story writer for more years than I would like to remember. This is an outlet for that frustration and a way for others to follow.

I hope many more of you will join me on this page as the catalogue begins to fill up with great stories from lots of good writers from all over the world helping to make the pocket book story itself a success.

RACHAEL MUNRO

I was born in Sydney in 1952 and grew up in then-rural Windsor, and Cooma.. Even so for many years the family home was forty six acres of bush, orchard, pastures and horses, always horses, in the Southern Highlands. I attended High School in Cooma. I hated it as much as I loved the nearby Snowy Mountains. School can best be summed up by three episodes: being expelled from Scripture class for arguing Theology; being barred from being a Prefect for refusing to wear a school uniform and being shut out of Senior Biology and left to find my own way round the syllabus-resulting in being the sole student of the thirteen Senior Biology students, to pass the HSC exam.

First year at Uni was a shock. I had to study for the first time and I discovered Love-mutually incompatible. I struggled through Med School for four years but failed after a massive dose of glandular fever. The next year was fun. I worked in the Box Office of the Concert Dept at the ABC, a great job unless you’re looking for a future. So I returned to Uni where I completed First Class Honours in Science.

I tutored part-time for some years as an undergrad, as well as being a part-time guide-lecturer at the Power House Museum and Sydney Observatory.

That was the 1970s, but the 1980s and 1990s were a different story. In 1981, I became the victim of a stalker. Realising he couldn’t marry me, he tried to kill me. In 1991, I escaped by moving to the bush but not before suffering a severe nervous breakdown. In the 1970s, I wrote love poems in a cross between Rod McKuen and T.S. Eliot if that can be imagined; but then I wasn’t writing for the public. The 1980s saw me write poetry which enjoyed wide publication. It culminated in 1989, with the publication of Dragonshadow, winning second prize in the Anne Elder Award for a first book of poetry.

The 1990s was a waste ground of depression and fear in which I wrote nothing, but I had my animals and qualified as a herbalist and aromatherapist. About 2003, I took up writing again and recently completed a Masters in Creative Arts in Creative Writing. I am currently working on my Doctorate in that field as well as writing short stories, collections of poetry and children’s books.

JOHN BIGGS

I was born in Tasmania, but spent all my professional life outside that beautiful State. While teaching in Hong Kong, I wrote a short story about convict Tasmania that won an award in a competition: time for a career switch. I fell like a falling leaf to my roots in Tasmania to concentrate on writing fiction. I like creating Sino-Tasmanian fusion, as in Forgiveness here; on stories based on misunderstanding, as in Those Teeth. I have published several short stories, including some prize-winners.

In my first published novel, The Girl in the Golden House (Pandanus Books, 2003), Chris Wong tells us about his sexual awakening. Chris lived in that frantic time in Hong Kong following the Tiananmen Massacre and leading up to the handover to China, with a brief and sexually fraught time in Sydney. ‘... a powerful portrait of a man forced to reconcile the expectations of his family, his ancestors and the weight of Chinese tradition with the very different attitudes of the West, while trying, in the middle of things, to find love.’ (The Age).
‘His treatment of Wong’s emotional struggle is as deft and moving as his exploration of Hong Kong in turmoil is bold.’ (South China Morning Post).

Project Integrens (Sid Harta 2006) received an award in the Genre Fiction section, Jacobyte Fiction Competition. Given that our brains are still evolving, how would Man-as-He-is interact with Man-as-She-might be? Enthusiastically…but only at first. ‘…an exciting story of adventure, space travel, humanity and the quest for the truth.’ Tammy Ho, Hong Kong poet and writer. I donned my ‘Sally Leigh’ disguise to write Disguises (Burville Books, 2007); Cathie, a Gen Y Australian-born Chinese girl, tells how she meets an old man called Peter. His story about ‘sixties Hong Kong blows Cathie’s life apart. ‘Peter’s story was the most beautiful love story I’d ever read… Cathie Lee had undergone the age-old mythic journey of the hero … This is, indeed, a story for our times, and any time…’ Liz Winfield, Hobart poet. Tin Dragons (forthcoming 2008) is an historical romance: the tin mines in early Tasmania attracted refugees from a China in turmoil, working girls from the big smoke and criminals from wherever to create a powerful mix that explodes into bloodshed, love and reconciliation.

More about me and my work at www.johnbiggs.com.au

KELLY WEIR

I come from sunny Queensland. I started writing when I was ten years old and although I have had some articles published in women’s magazines, this is the first time I have had a story published into a book. I am married with two small children and work as a Hairdresser. I have travelled extensively around the world before I settled to have my family and have many more stories pent up in my head. I will work diligently now that there is a publisher who will accept short stories and hope to have more published.

My first published work, ‘One Way Train’ actually came to me from a song title. I find that if I have a catchy title I can build the story around it. I don’t think this is the conventional way to write, but then other writers’ have told me that it doesn’t matter where you get your inspiration from as long as the end product is good.

I believe you will enjoy my story, people have told me it makes the hair on the back of their neck stand up. My favourite Authors’ are Harold Robbins, Ian Fleming and James Redshaw. My favourite Australian Author is Maureen McKillop.

NICOLE TAYLOR

Nicole Taylor lives in Melbourne. While completing a journalism degree, she had various theatre reviews published as part of the Buzzcuts program at Express Media, and spent a short time editing their newsletter. A play she co-wrote with Leiarna Paterno was performed in 2002. She has also had pieces published in The Age online and the North and West Melbourne News, and she won the 2000 VUT Award for Excellence in Creative Writing.

"I came across the pickapocketbook website while scouring the internet for a literary mentor," Nicole says, "and I believe pickapocketbook is a great means of publishing new writers as well as providing established short story writers with another outlet for their work."

JANET WOODS

I'm a British-born Australian author who lives near Fremantle in Western Australia.
My writing career started after my four children had grown up and left home. Because the markets for writers change so often, and genres fall out of fashion I believe a vivid imagination and the desire to write an absorbing tale needs to be backed up by constant practice of the craft, if the outcome for a writer is to be successful.

The first short story I wrote was accepted for publication, and I've now had over fifty short story publications in various in popular magazines overseas, and in Australian Woman's Weekly and Women's Day. I also write novels – historical romance, modern relationships novels and saga and have been published by Robert Hale, Simon and Schuster, and Severn house UK. My twenty-first novel has just been released. Most of my novels are also published in large print and audio. Now and again I venture outside my comfort zone to try something new. I've had children's stories published by Oxford University Press, Longman, in their Spinout Sapphire series and Puffinalia magazine.

I've been successful in competition too. From an entry of over 600 unpublished novels, my book, "Daughter of Darkness" was a major prize winner in the Australian Woman\’s Day/Random House, novel writing competition. My proudest moment though came a few years later when, at the Melbourne conference of the Romance Writers of Australia, the published edition won the 2002 Australian "Romantic Book Of the Year" award for mainstream romance. I belong to many writers organisations, including the Romance Writers of Australia, and am proud to be an honorary life member of the Society of Women Writers, WA.

For details of Janet Wood's novels and to read her reviews.
Website at – http://members.iinet.net.au/~woods
Blog at – http://janwoods.blogspot.com

JOHAN LUIDENS

Johan Luidens was born during the Second World War in the north of the Netherlands. He served two years in the Dutch Royal Navy after his school years. When he was nineteen he signed on in the Merchant Navy for the next eight years. He migrated to Australia in 1972 and joined the staff at Sydney Airport.

Johan is now retired, enjoys writing, jogging, cooking and does volunteer work. He has had short stories, articles and a novel (INVADERS) published and is working on the next one.

Johan and his wife, Helen, currently live on the Central Coast of NSW. He has one son and two lovely granddaughters.

JANE GILLESPIE

I wrote stories all the time when I was in my early teens. When I was about 15, I received a rejection letter from a magazine. I hadn’t submitted anything to them so was naturally puzzled until my mother told me that she had sent in one of my stories on my behalf. This meant she had been through my private things and I was so mortified that I stopped writing. I was a very timid, shy girl and felt as though my trust had been betrayed.

For the next 40 or so years I limited my writing to letters to friends. I didn’t start writing fiction again until 1999. After completing several creative writing courses I began my first novel in 2000. This is still a work in progress. However, I have written a book about my journey with and beyond cancer. This was published in 2007 and is available through my website http://www.janegillespie.net

I have also written several short stories, a novella (all unpublished) and had articles published on the ABC Health & Welling website and in Your Life Choices magazine.

My dream is to write sexy romance novels and I’m excited that my pickapocketbook story, All the Wrong Places, is the first step to achieving that. What a wonderful idea this is to give writers confidence and to see their work in print. Now back to my novel!

JUNE MONKS

June lives on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland at Maroochydore. Her office overlooks the Maroochy River. Maroochy is aboriginal for black swan, but sadly there are few black swans living on the river now.

She was drawn to writing as an outlet for a vivid imagination, which at times proved to be a liability as well as an asset. An avid reader of all kinds of literature led to a desire to create her own stories and a definite preference for a happy ending led to the romantic fiction genre.

After some small successes with short stories and humorous articles, which were published in magazines, she had her first book accepted. This book, a duet for New Concepts Publishing, was released in 1999 and was followed by two other category romances with this company.

A foray into print followed with Country Sunshine being released by Saltwater Press (Rocky River Romance), and Second time Around and Special Delivery being released by Heartline Books of London. Sea of Hope was released in 2007 by Eternal Press.

A long time member of the Romantic Writers of Australia, ANZ and UK authors groups and the Queensland Writers Centre she acknowledges the wonderful help writers receive from these organizations. Being awarded the Carole-Ann Sorrell award from RWAust was a huge thrill.

To counterbalance hours spent at the computer June plays tennis, walks, reads and cares for her large garden. A sense of adventure has led to some interesting experiences including hot air ballooning, paragliding and a one off trip on a Harley Davidson in tandem with a handsome bikie. Her husband Ian has always been her most ardent supporter and in her eyes is a true hero.

ELIZABETH ANN LEPPIN

I was born in the United Kingdom into a predominately Irish family and came to live in Tasmania where I attended boarding school. Writing became an escape for me from the loneliness of being apart from my family. All the stories I had heard from my family became reality for me.

As a child I listened to the stories of mermaids intertwined with war stories, pirates and traveller’s tales. They became my journeys. I passed these stories onto my children, with many embellishments. I am a retired school librarian from a Catholic girls school, here I am at the stage of life when my own children and my grandchildren have heard the tales; my friends have laughed at my stories of life, love and sorrow and so I thought it time to put my stories onto paper.

I joined Sandy Beach Community Centre in Melbourne and was fortunate enough to have Claire Gaskin as my tutor. Claire is an established, published poet and a great tutor. She encouraged me and all of her students, to expand their skills and find freedom in the written word. We have just had our anthology (20 People Write) published and our book launched was opened by Olga Lorenzo.

My favourite authors are Tim Winton, Isabelle Allende, Lee Harper and Charles Dickens to mention a few. I live in Cheltenham with my husband. I have never driven a car, I use public transport and I listen to the people I travel with. Their stories become the centre of my stories. So that’s me, Elizabeth Ann Leppin, who is goes by the name Anni. That’s another story.

ELIZABETH BLACKMAN

I am from an old Western Australian family. As a child I lived with my grandmother due to the break-up of my parents. It was here I developed my interest in psychology and the aged. In 2000, a cousin asked me to complete the family story her husband had been working on. This was my introduction to writing, before that time my principal interest in the arts was as a painter. Being an artist sometimes becomes hard as the subconscious mind wants to paint all the time.

It took five years to compile and publish the family history. Thankfully I had begun teaching art at an aged Day Care Centre; most of the people I teach are stroke survivors. This takes away the urge to paint and leaves me enough time to write. I live alone and have done so for many years. However, I have four children, many grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Apart from the history and some poems my writing was limited to short stories for competitions. In 2005 I was voted most improved writer. In 2007 I was awarded writer of the year in our group. In a poetry competition I received a highly commended in the same year.

When I submitted my first story to pickapocketbook, it was chosen for publication. For me, my children, and the members of my group the excitement was overwhelming. I must thank the people at Pocket Books for giving me this opportunity, but for them I would still be looking for my first short story publication.

COLIN G. WEST

I was born in Adelaide and never left ? which is understandable. After school I worked for Kodak back in the dim past when they had their own shops. I graduated to giving talks about photography to school photography groups. When illness forced very premature retirement I continued with photographic pursuits. One of my photographs won me a holiday in Tahiti. I took many portraits for actors for their portfolios and for front of house. I was told that I could make anyone look good. It helps that most actors already look good.

When declining eyesight prohibited using a camera, I took to writing, more or less by accident. The film of "Interview with a Vampire" came out at that time. It annoyed me because it seemed to me that important elements of the original book were missing in the American manner.

Without knowing anything about writing I set about writing a vampire story that contained the missing elements. "The Vampire Kiss" was meant to be a brief piece but it horrified me by taking over and going on and on of its own accord. It originally ended on page 66. Someone who read it was anxious to know what happened to the "hero" so I wrote a great deal more so that we both would know what happened next.

I knew little about writing in those distant days, but, as I learned more and more, there were re-writes and re-writes of the original (which no longer exists, thank goodness). "The Vampire Kiss" is now as good as I can get it. I have written several shorter stories mostly featuring my lovable vampire. One has been published in an anthology. After so many years and so much work, it is a thrill indeed to see my story in print at last. I hope it does well for me and for pickapocketbook.com Enjoy