Image from Canva Free Stock Images Whether you enjoy or loathe writing them, an appropriate author bio is essential when presenting yourself to your audience as it orients you within the writing canon, and educates others on your particulars. Some authors use their bio to denote what genre or format they work in (e.g. poetry, essays, etc….
Perth Independent Book Tour, by Jess Rae
When you don’t drink alcohol or coffee, what could possibly be your vice? Bookstores—duh! At least in my case that’s exactly what it is. It’s true, loyal Underground readers: I took one for the team, went on a bookstore tour and spent a lot of money, but shhh. Don’t tell anyone. It’s for research, I…
Freelance writing series part 8: Building a Portfolio
Article by Jess Gately Image from Canva Free Stock Images Your business is now pretty much set up and ready to go, but there’s one last thing you’ll normally need to attract clients—a portfolio. Just like in any business, people want to know that you can actually do what they’re asking you to do and the best…
Issue 26: Ashes
Cover by Ari Moore Issue 26: Ashes is here for your reading pleasure. This month we bring you a tasting plate of short fiction, flash fiction and poetry by writers from around Australia, including Sophie Roberts, Elaine Mead, Nadia Kim, W.D. Farnsworth and Ash Leonard. Editor Shelley Carter gives us a run-down of Gus Henderson’s…
Review: The Sunday Girl by Pip Drysdale, by Jess Rae
Trigger warning: this review discusses a book that contains themes of abusive relationships, drug-abuse, and sexual assault. WARNING: This is the kind of book that requires a comfy couch, a good hot beverage and maybe some snacks too because once this book gets going you’re not going to want to stop. I saw this book…
Interview: Lorna Hendry, author
An interview by Shelley Carter Lorna Hendry is a writer, editor, graphic designer and teacher, and studied a Bachelor of Science at university before writing children’s non-fiction. She currently writes for Wild Dog Books and in her current published work How to Win a Nobel Prize, she teams up with Nobel Prize winner Barry Marshall…
8 Aussie Podcasts for Writers, by Jess Gately
Image from Canva free stock images Writing is something you can learn in many different ways and while many will tell you to learn by reading, we can also learn by listening! The rise of the podcast means that speciality shows catering to all your passions, learning and entertainment needs, are just a click away. So, of…
Stella Prize 2019 Overview: what was shortlisted this year? By Shelley Carter
Picture credit to 2ser Tuesday Book Club Since its inception in 2013, the Stella Prize has aimed to “recognise and celebrate Australian women writers’ contribution to literature.” It celebrates those who courageously and authentically share their stories, subvert genres, and experiment with form. This year was no different, and both the longlist and shortlist offering…
Freelance writing series part 7: A word from the professionals
Article by Jess Gately Image from Canva Free Stock Images We’re welcoming back Ruth Dawkins, Lindy Alexander and Abby Alexander, our resident freelancers who are discussing some of the things we’ve been talking about so far and giving us an insight into the working world of freelance writing. What was the hardest thing you had to learn…
Interview: Dee White, author & playwright for children & young adults
An interview by Shelley Carter Dee White is a published author of 18 books and two plays for children and young adults, with two new books due out this year. She has had extensive experience in the publishing industry, including conducting writing workshops and online classes about writing. She has presented at a number of…
Writing Opportunities April 2019
Image from Canva free stock images Red Room Poetry: School Poetry Object 2019 “Victorian primary schools are invited to register – FOR FREE – in the first-in-the-nation primary school poetry slam competition, in 2019, with OutLoud primary finalists to appear at the Melbourne Writers Festival. Registration would usually be $275 per primary school team but the free…
Interview: Kerri Turner, author of The Last Days of the Romanov Dancers and Underground Writers Alumni
Interview with Kerri Turner, author of The Last Days of the Romanov Dancers and Underground Writers Alumni In 2017, Kerri Turner submitted her short story The Cause and an Effect to Underground Issue 17: Hitchhiker. Now her debut novel, The Last Days of the Romanov Dancers, has just been released and the second is on…
Planning a Novel, by Jess Gately
Image from Canva Free Stock Images Take what you will from this process and build upon it in a way that best suits you. You may wish to use all of the steps, or you may wish to use only some, but the key is to work in a way that is best suited to you and…
Review: Driving Into the Sun by Marcella Polain, by Dylan Dartnell
Title: Driving Into the Sun Author: Marcella Polain Genre: Literary fiction Publisher: Fremantle Press (2019) The novel that took some ten years to write, Marcella Polain is back with her breath-taking work, Driving into the Sun (Fremantle Press, 2019). The story revolves around an eleven-year-old girl named Orla on the precipice of womanhood. She, like most…
8 BookTubers to Spice up Your Reading, by Shelley Carter
I discovered Booktube back in 2016. It was like a whole new world of literature had opened up to me. Books I had no idea even existed made their way onto my TBR list, and I even discovered Goodreads because of the people I was watching. I had found a community of people that were…
Freelance Writing series part 6: Tax & Superannuation
Image from Canva Free Stock Images Article by Jess Gately Those dreaded words. The ones that fill our heads with question marks and swear words. For many people tax is frustrating, confounding and unintelligible. Having a tax agent is a really good idea when you’re freelancing, but there are still lots of things you can do to…
Review: Alex and the Alpacas Save the World by Kathryn Lefroy, by Kate Lomas Glendenning
Title: Alex and the Alpacas Save the World Author: Kathryn Lefroy Genre: Australian children’s fiction Favourite Part: When Alex discovers she can understand the alpacas Alex and the Alpacas Save the World, by Kathryn Lefroy, follows Alex who is visiting her grandfather’s farm in Tasmania for the summer. Lefroy quickly throws her heroine into shenanigans…
Writing Opportunities March 2019
Image from Canva free stock images Yirra Yaakin Writers’ Group “Yirra Yaakin invites established and aspiring Aboriginal playwrights to participate in an intensive playwriting program that guides writers through craft and writing sessions aimed at turning ideas into scripts. At the culmination of the workshop program, six writers are selected for one-on-one assistance to help them prepare…
Interview: Hadley Wickham, author of ‘My Bed is a Blackhole’
Interview with Hadley Wickham, emerging author of My Bed is a Blackhole, by Shelley Carter When I was first introduced to emerging Perth author Hadley Wickham, I was more than intrigued. A Google search gleaned nothing more than a sample of her debut novel, and a single interview. I was put into contact with her through…
Freelance Writing series part 5: Setting Rates, Quoting and Invoicing
Image from Canva Free Stock Images Article by Jess Gately Here we are at part 5, and we still haven’t even started writing yet! And sadly, there’s still lots to do before you do start writing. In this post we look at the finance side of things like quoting and pricing structures. For some of you keeping…
Illustrated Books aren’t just for Children, by Kate Lomas Glendenning
I find books memorable for different reasons. These reasons range from characters, to plot, or to setting; however, one endearing reason a book can be memorable to me is because of its illustrations. Illustrations are not just for children’s books. Drawings can not only aid imagery but also create a deeper meaning. Which books are…
Review: Wraith by Shane and Alex Smithers, by Jemimah Halbert Brewster
Title: Wraith Author: Shane & Alex Smithers Genre: YA Sci-fi Favourite Part: When they’re sneaking around a ship Wraith, by Shane and Alex Smithers, is the story of James Locke, a sixteen your old boy living with his parents in rural New South Wales. Who can fly. His best friend Darren is training him to…
Is Your Idea Worth It? By Jess Rae
How to tell what story is worth writing. I know as a writer I always have so many ideas but I never have any clue which idea to run with; I don’t know about you but I’m not usually confident in myself enough to make that decision. Well I’m here to tell you there are…
Issue 25 is here!
It’s a new year and we’re happy to be presenting issue #25 of the Underground Writers zine, featuring more fantastic work by a selection of creative writers from around Australia. Our work this issue includes poetry from Ion Corcos, Jasmin Seabrook-Benson, Scott-Patrick Mitchell, and Wendy Lichtenberg. Our short stories comes from Christos Sevastidis and Paul…
Freelance Writing series part 4: Business Set-up
Image from Canva Free Stock Images As you’ve seen in the previous posts, there’s a lot more to freelance writing than just writing. Setting up your business correctly is the first and possibly most important step to ensuring your success as you step out into the freelance world. In this post we’ll cover the set-up of some…
How to Create Fully Developed Fictional Characters, by Kate Lomas Glendenning
Image from Canva free stock images As a reader, it is incredibly frustrating to immerse yourself within a book with underdeveloped characters; as a writer, this flop is devastating. It is with frustration I must confess that there is no exact formula to create developed characters. Advice on the subject is varied and often contradicts itself, so…
The Big 5 I Need for a Successful Year of Reading, by Dylan Dartnell
Reading Goals It all starts here! Whether we are deciding to read more of a particular genre or to read more widely, to read more of the classics or to read more Australian works, we need to set the goal and keep accountable. Goodreads is good for tracking the number of books we’ve read and…
Review: Blue in the Red House by Sarah Madden, by Shelley Carter
Title: Blue in the Red House Author: Sarah Madden Genre: Magical Realism & Memoir Favourite Part: When Ms. De Beer and Me-Two meet for the first time Favourite Quote: “She had been poised to triumph, to step out into the world with new resolve and the battle won, but now she was sucked back into…
Review: Flight Risk by Michael McGuire, by Fred Woolhouse
Title: Flight Risk Author: Michael McGuire Genre: spy thriller Favourite Part: Ted finally meets the individuals behind the terror attacks Favourite Quote: “No doubt plenty of people think the work I do is a bit murky, a bit underhand, maybe even lacking in ethics and morality. But there is a certain honesty in my dishonesty”…
Writing Opportunities January 2019
Image from Canva free stock images Nakata Brophy Short Fiction and Poetry Prize for Young Indigenous Writers The prize will be awarded to the best short story by an Indigenous writer who is 30 years or younger at the closing date of the competition. Overland ‘future sex’ edition Overland are currently seeking submissions for a special…
What We Learnt in 2018
2018 was a big year for learning, and our editors were happy to discuss and share as much as they could. This post pulls together everything we learnt over the year about writing, reading and publishing. Take a look and check out the posts you may have missed or the ones you might want to…
Aussie Titles Reviewed in 2018
2018 was a huge year for reviews with our editors covering a range of genres, themes and authors. Take a trip down memory lane to see all the great Aussie titles we reviewed in 2018! Defying Doomsday edited by Tsana Dolichva and Holly Kench, reviewed by Jemimah Halbert Brewster Grace Beside Me by Sue…
9 Audiobooks to add to your 2019 TBR, by Shelley Carter
Featured image from Canva free stock images As someone who spends a decent amount of time commuting to work each week, audiobooks have been my saviour when it comes to smashing out my Goodreads goal and feeling like I haven’t just wasted an hour sitting in traffic. While some people consider audiobooks to not be…
3 things to consider when choosing books for your loved ones this Christmas
Have you ever heard of Jolabokaflod, the Icelandic tradition of giving books on Christmas Eve? Translated to ‘The Christmas Book Flood’, Icelanders spend months pouring over book catalogues in the lead up to Christmas before exchanging books and chocolate on Christmas Eve and spending the night reading together by a cosy fire. Ok so the…
Writing Opportunities for December 2018
Earth Island Journal – currently open for article submissions We cover the entire spectrum of environmental issues, including, wildlife and lands conservation; innovations in science and technology; public policy and the politics of environmental protection; climate and energy; animal rights; public health; environmental justice and cultural survival; and environmentally related film, music, and books. ACMI…
Kate’s Character List
Whilst I might splutter on about a book—attempting to justify my obsession with it—more often than not my intrigue lies with a particular character. These characters range from the sweet, innocent-minded to twisted, obsessive creatures. Who are these characters? Well… Ingrid, White Oleander, Janet Fitch Whilst the novel is not from Ingrid’s perspective, and she…
Shelley’s Gift Guide for Literature Lovers
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Well, until you have to start writing a shopping list for your book-loving friends, and are at a loss as to what to buy them. You could stalk their Goodreads To-Be-Read list, and hope that what’s on there isn’t already sitting on their shelf at home. Or…
Review: Blakwork by Alison Whittaker, by Jess Rae
Title: Blakwork Author: Alison Whittaker Genre: Poetry Look at that: the fantasy editor is reviewing poetry! Pigs really do fly after all. I actually read a lot of poetry, but my preferred written form is prose so it’s rare for me to talk about poetry on this platform, especially when we have quite a fantastic…
Freelance Writing series part 3: Freelancers in action
Image from Canva Free Stock Images Freelance writing comes in many different forms which means there are lots of different ways to approach it. This is why every so often in the Freelance Writing series we’re going to check back in with our three resident professionals. A massive thank you to Ruth Dawkins, Lindy Alexander and Abby…
Interview: Jaime Collins, literary agent at The Nash Agency
An interview with literary agent Jaime Collins of The Nash Agency, by Shelley Carter née Timms Firstly, introduce yourself! How did you find yourself in the Publishing industry? Funnily enough, I started as a writer! After having my first baby, I figured I finally had time whilst on maternity leave to write a book. I…