Genre hopping is more than just a change of plot. Our panel have written over a range of genres and for different demographics including children’s literature, crime, memoir, science fiction and historical fiction. The panel includes Sandra Joy, John Franks, Alison Ferguson, and Kristen Mair.
Books available for purchase and signing.
Part of the Write Here Festival 2024. Full program details here
Gold coin donation on entry
Alison Ferguson, Eleebana Since retiring from work as a speech pathologist in clinical and academic settings, Alison has been busy writing fiction across the many genres she enjoys reading: mystery, crime, historical fiction, and science fiction. In 2017, she self-published the biography A Gentleman’s Daughter, about the life of Harriet Blaxland in Sydney and India during the early 1800s. This research inspired her to write the historical fiction trilogy, The Sisters’ Saga (self-published in 2021): Volume 1 Maiden Manoeuvres, Volume 2 Dearest Daughter, and Volume 3 Widow’s Wake. Most recently, her science-fiction novel Grey Nomad was published by Brio Books in 2023.
John Franks, Warners Bay Avid teacher and researcher, John Franks has both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from UON. After 40 years of high school teaching, he dedicates much of his time to his other passions - the arts. In 2020, John’s first book Memoirs (warts and all) of a Baby Boomer successfully sold out. His second book, Echoes, is a contemporary novel with a strong historical fiction element. John’s commitment to the Newcastle Theatre Company saw him awarded life membership in 2011. John played with the UON Wind Orchestra and currently conducts a small U3A orchestra in Lake Macquarie.
Sandra Joy, Newcastle As an author, Sandra Joy has published seven children’s books, an anthology and a non-fiction book – all under the mantra of “helping words matter”. She has also edited and co-edited several others. As Sandra Boyd, fell in love with the publishing process and the joy of seeing others have their work in print, so started her own publishing services business, Kani Consultants. She has been a guest speaker to a class of university children’ Writers, and has been host and guest at the Newcastle and Write Here writers festivals. She has also conducted writing workshops and author talks at three schools. Sandra is the president of the Lake Macquarie branch of the Fellowship of Australian Writers and has a Bachelor of Arts with Distinction, majoring in English and Writing.
Kristen Mair, Toronto KJ Mair studied screenwriting at the Australian Film Television & Radio School and hopes to one day have her works published and seen on screen. She has won second prize in both the Alice Sinclair Memorial Prize (2016) and the Newcastle Herald Short Story Competition (2019) and has been a finalist and short-listed in numerous others, including the Heroines Women’s Writing Prize (2020) and the Scarlett Stiletto Award (2022). In 2020 she was an editor and contributor to her writers’ group (Lake Macquarie Branch of the Fellowship of Australian Writers) anthology, Beneath the Surface.
Parking and Venue information
Toronto Library, located on the corner of Brighton Ave & Pemell St, has a public car park adjacent to the building with accessible parking available that provides access via a ramp to the library. The venue has accessible toilets outside the facility. The library can be accessed by public buses.
