Deb has been in the graphic design industry for over 40 years, first as a paste up artist and then later as an illustrator freelancing for a range of clients that included advertising agencies, print houses, publishers and manufacturers. While working with publishing companies for many years providing line art and educational artwork, it wasn’t until 2002 that she illustrated her first picture book A Kiwi Night Before Christmas (Scholastic NZ, published 2003). Since then she has illustrated another 40 or so books. In 2016 she published her first authored and illustrated book Hare, under the imprint PictureBook Publishing. She now runs a small independent publishing business based in the Waikato producing quality books that she has written and illustrated as well as other author’s work. Deb loves to create worlds and characters that children can relate to and has been a member of SCWBI for 10 years. www.deborahhinde.co.nz
Lisa has illustrated 25 books (23 of them for children), since 2007. Two of her books received Storylines Notable Book awards in 2022. Another received this award in 2021. She has worked for a wide variety of publishers in both New Zealand and Australia and has editions published in 8 countries. Her first two books remain on the NSW and Queensland Premiers reading lists in Australia. Lisa has been a member of SCWBI for several years. She currently works as a children’s librarian in addition to illustrating picture books. www.lisaallenillustrator.com
Sherryl Clark has been a SCBWI member for over 20 years, and has published more than 70 books for children and YA. Her books have won awards in Australia, and have been published overseas in the USA, UK, China, Spain and Mexico. She has taught writing and editing for over 30 years and now works as a freelance writer and editor. Her most recent title, Mina and the Whole Wide World, has won the Australian Prime Minister’s Literary Awards in 2022. She moved back to New Zealand in 2022. www.sherrylclark.com
Frances has been an active member of SCBWI since she first joined in 2006, advocating for New Zealand members as Australia East/NZ ARA until 2019. She has served as assistant regional co-ordinator for Australia-East, which included New Zealand. After a 40 year career as a children’s librarian in public libraries across west Auckland, she became a literary agent, establishing my own agency in 2012. In 2022 she self-published her debut picture book, TIDE’S OUT Tai Timu, in November 2022, which is gathering some very favourable book reviews already. SCBWI NZ 2023: Mentor. www.francesplumpton.com
Donna writes across a range of genres. Her career began in the mid-1980s, and took off when she became the lifestyle/travel editor at NZ Autocar magazine, writing road trip features. For many years she was the editor-in-chief of RV & Motorhome Lifestyle. She edited for several publishing houses until 2011, following the successful launch of Renovate magazine. In 2004 Donna wrote her first creative non-fiction book; since then she’s written 42 titles, for children and adults. These days, she runs an engineering firm with her husband, but puts her Masters’ degree in Creative Writing to good use in her spare time, editing manuscripts; including award-winning titles by NZ author, Des Hunt. Donna’s latest book, Just Keep Going (9-12 years), is described by NZ’s Reading Ambassador, Alan Dingley, as an environmental mystery with “new beginnings, new family and friends”; one that delivers “vivid landscapes that do NZ’s coastlines justice”. www.donnablaber.com
Katie is an author of children’s stories and books who lives in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland. Her debut non-fiction picture book, Tuatara, a Living Treasure, illustrated by Ned Barraud and published by Scholastic NZ in 2023 was a regional finalist in the SCBWI Crystal Kite Awards, received a Storylines Notable Book Award, and a finalist in the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. A second title in the series Ruru, Night Hunter came out in July 2024. Katie’s stories and articles are regularly published in The School Magazine in Australia. She has also written early readers and children’s plays for the educational market, and published stories in anthologies. Read more about Katie at: www.katiefurze.com
Heather is an author of fiction and non-fiction books; picture books and levelled readers for the education market. She writes in both rhyme and prose. Some of her books have been awarded Storylines Notable Book Awards and one was a finalist in the Best Picture Book category of the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young People. Two of my manuscripts have been used as the texts for the Storylines Gavin Bishop Award for new and unpublished illustrators. www.heatherhaylock.nz
Emma Wood is the author of the bestselling picture book Tulip and Doug: Friends for (Almost) Ever, and its sequel, Tulip and Sprout: A Growing Friendship, both published by Scholastic NZ. Emma is a former RNZ journalist who writes non-fiction for the education market, reviews the latest kidlit titles for the Otago Daily Times, and works as a freelance writer and communications specialist. She lives with her family in beautiful Ōtepoti Dunedin. www.emmawoodbooks.com