International Speakers
Rachel Bailey
Rachel Bailey is a USA Today bestselling author with a PhD in English, so it’s safe to say she lives in a world of books and stories. She’s taught writing workshops at conferences, festivals and events across Australia and New Zealand, occasionally tutors in English at the University of Tasmania, and has been mentoring writers for over 10 years.
Her books have hit bestseller lists, won awards, been translated into twenty languages, and published in over twenty-eight countries. Besides books, she’s also obsessed with dogs and popcorn. Luckily, she has two dogs, a popcorn maker and overflowing bookshelves, so she’s covered on all fronts.
Theodora Taylor
Theodora Taylor is the bestselling author of the 50 Loving States Series.
Despite writing within a niche genre (interracial romance), she has earned six KDP All-Star bonuses and grown a fanbase of rabid readers through the power of Universal Fantasy.
Her book, 7 FIGURE FICTION: How to Use Universal Fantasy to SELL Your Books to ANYONE was an instant #1 non-fiction bestseller in the Writing Category on Amazon and has since been certified as Great by the world’s largest online bookseller. Most importantly, this book has become a valued and treasured resource for writers around the world.
Theodora has been invited to give presentations on Universal Fantasy by NINC (Novelists Inc.) Conference, RAM (Romance Author Mastermind), and Inker’s Con. She’s also a highly sought after podcasts guest. She’s made appearances on The Creative Penn (hosted by Joanna Penn), Six Figure Authors, #AmWriting, Wish I’d Known Then, and SPA Girls.
She adores talking about Universal Fantasy and can’t wait to tell you all about it.
Becca Syme
Becca Syme holds a master’s degree in transformational leadership and has been a success coach (primarily utilizing the Gallup Strengthsfinder®) for over fifteen years. She’s coached over 5,000 individual authors and creatives through her Better-Faster Academy: six- and seven-figure authors, major award winners, midlisters, and new authors alike.
She holds membership in RWA, SCBWI, and NINC. A former communications director and consultant, she holds an undergrad degree in English and an advanced degree in Leadership and Theology. Her life followed a natural progression into writing mystery books. She writes cozy mysteries that take place in Montana with a spunky amateur sleuth who owns a small bakery in a Montana tourist town near a national park.
Sacha Black
Sacha Black is a bestselling and competition winning author, rebel podcaster, speaker and casual rule breaker. She writes writing craft books for authors, and spicy sapphic fantasy romance as Ruby Roe. She lives in Cambridgeshire, England, with her wife and genius, giant of a son.
Local Speakers
Amy Andrews
Amy is an award-winning, USA Today best-selling Aussie author whose twenty year career has produced eighty-five contemporary romances in both the traditional and digital markets. Her books bring all the feels from sass, quirk and laughter to emotional grit and scorching heat. She believes in soul mates, happily ever afters and the mighty wang.
Amy loves to travel and drink wine. Drinking wine whilst travelling makes her one very happy little vegemite. She’s lives in the pretty little coastal town of Yeppoon where she gets to stare at the ocean all day and enjoy cocktails on the deck in the evening.
Samara Parish
Samara Parish is an historical romance writer who has a very limited amount of control over her characters. She spent the better part of 2023 watching as her hero and heroine refused to kiss (they got there eventually, on their own terms). She is also a Gallup-Certified CliftonStrengths Coach with Becca Syme’s Better-Faster Academy and works with writers to help them align their writing, marketing and careers to their natural talents—both plotters and pantsers alike.
Michelle Somers
Michelle Somers is a professional killer and matchmaker, a storyteller and a romantic. Words are her power and her passion. Her heroes and heroines always get their happy ever after, but she’ll put them through one hell of a journey to get there. Michelle’s romantic suspense debut, Lethal in Love won the Romance Writers of Australia’s 2013 Valerie Parv Award and 2016 Romantic Book of the Year.
Michelle loves sharing her knowledge, teaching writing craft in simple and easy to follow steps. Her SIMPLY SYNOPSIS strategy has revolutionized the way writers craft a synopsis, and now her CHARACTERISATION THROUGH NARRATION strategy is helping writers master the art of strong, character-driven storytelling.
Sofia Aves
USA Today Bestselling romance author and Acquisitions Editor for Evernight Publishing and Evernight Teen, Sofia Aves lives near Brisbane, Australia. She writes sassy bromance, bands of brothers and quiet heroines who kick their alphamale’s ass with an oversized side of spice. Married to a veteran, she often tackles topics of PTSD and reintegration. Sofia writes kidlit for charity with over 170 publications across five not-so-super-secret pen names. She is the Marketing Manager for Romance Cafe Publishing, and the previous Marketing Manager of Romance Writers Australia. After eighteen years of planning and dreaming, Sofia opened her own alpaca park, Lorendel, in December 2022 and attack cuddles her herd daily.
Louisa Duval
Lou Bromley is career counsellor by day, and romance writer by day and night, as well as a former ABC Radio content creator, and mar-comms professional. She has presented workshops for the Career Development Association of Australian, spoken on industry panels, and won awards for her graduate development programs.
Lou writes as Louisa Duval, and has won and finalled in ARRA awards, published in RWA’s Sweet Treats and Spicy Bites anthologies, and was a Koru finalist. Louisa was a writer in residence with QWC in 2022. Lou also co-hosts a fan podcast about the real life locations featured in Bluey.
Enni Amanda
Enni Tuomisalo is a graphic designer and cover artist with 20+ years of experience in the creative industry. She’s currently the co-director of Hamilton-based boutique design agency Bee Creative, which operates internationally as Yummy Book Covers, focusing on illustrated cover design. They work mostly with indie authors. Enni also writes romantic comedies under the pen name Enni Amanda.
Tanya Nellestein
Tanya Nellestein is a bestselling and award winning Australian author who has carved a niche for herself as a champion of unconventional romance narratives. She writes as Tanya Nellestein and Darcie Morgan. Tanya is also an award winning journalist, currently writing for Indie Author Magazine.
As the Founder of Ink Business, Tanya supports authors and creatives to transform their words into business through workshops, courses, and individual and group coaching.
Sadie King
Sadie King is a USA Today Best Selling author of over 120 short and steamy contemporary romance stories about ex-military mountain men and the sassy women who steal their hearts.
She lives in New Zealand with her ex-military husband and young son. When she’s not writing she loves catching waves with her son, running along the beach and drinking good wine, preferably with a book in hand.
Her first non-fiction book, Writing Short Romance for Pleasure and Profit will be released in March 2024.
Angelique Jurd
Angelique Jurd writes contemporary LGBTQIA+ romance fiction featuring characters from all walks of life. She is a full time indie author from Auckland.
Amanda Ashby
Amanda Ashby was born in Australia but now lives in New Zealand. She grew up on a diet of Trixie Belden and Nancy Drew; and while climbing out windows at night seems like hard work, she does enjoy writing about characters who do such things! She’s been published by Penguin/Random House US, Albert Whitman, Entangled and Boldwood.
She has a degree in English and Journalism from the University of Queensland. Her debut book was nominated for a Romantic Times Reviewers Choice award, and her first young adult book was listed by the New York Public Libraryʼs Stuff for the Teen Age. She has presented many workshops over the years as well as working with new writers as a mentor and coach.