Michael Marvosh, a new author and aspiring speaker and thought-leader. He is working to make real his vision of a world no longer divided by religion--a vision which grew out of his upbringing and ongoing inner struggle with what to believe about the truth, along with a keen awareness of the myriad ways the modern world seems to be tearing itself apart. His first book, The Forest is the Tree, is the result of a nascent version of this vision. He is starting a 21st-century conversation about what it means to be human--about what brings us together and what pulls us apart. Credit: Michael Marvosh, michaelmarvosh.com.

Meet Kate Toon, a business and digital marketing mentor and an okaish parent. She's on a mission to help other business-owning parents avoid all of the mistakes she made when starting her business 14 years ago. Her soon to be released new book Six Figures in School Hours: How to run a successful business and still be a good parent is full of practical advice and tips to help parents save their sanity. (Out June 28th 2023). She's a seasoned podcaster, with three podcasts of her own as well she's made over 150 podcast appearances.  She joins us today to share real-life tips on how to be a parent to human babies and business babies, including to discuss her publishing experience as someone who has self-published and now also published with a third party publisher. Credit: Kate Toon

Bestselling Australian author Lee Christine proves that at 60, it’s never too late to turn lifelong dreams into reality. Lee is the writer of six romantic suspense novels and three alpine-crime novels, including the best-selling and award winning Charlotte Pass, and best-selling Crackenback. In the past decade she has firmly cemented herself as one of Australia’s most compelling crime writers.Born and bred in Newcastle, Lee always hankered to write. During her high school years, she sang and played guitar in a band, playing regular gigs around town - often penning her own songs, something she says is the very essence of storytelling. And in what Lee describes as a writing career highlight, both Charlotte Pass and Crackenback were chosen to be published in Reader’s Digest. ‘It was like I had just done a ten-year apprenticeship in writing, with my previous six books,’ Lee says, ‘and suddenly it all came together.’Lee’s 10th book, The Precedent, set in Newcastle, will be out in early 2024, published by Allen and Unwin. Credit: Lee Christine.

A.B. Patterson is an Australian writer who knows first-hand about corruption, power, crime and sex. He was a Detective Sergeant in the WA Police, working in pedophilia and vice, and later a Chief Investigator with the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption. His multiple award-winning, debut novel, Harry’s World, introduced the jaded and flawed PI Harry Kenmare. Harry’s Quest was the sizzling, award-winning sequel in the PI Harry Kenmare series of novels. The third novel, Harry’s Grail, is in progress. The Harry Kenmare short stories, some previously published in the USA in Switchblade magazine, were collected together and published in 2020 as Harry Kenmare, PI – At Your Service. He has had other short stories, all crime related, published in other anthologies. In a non-fiction vein, he was a contributing editor to a volume dealing with the trauma for male survivors of English boarding schools published by Routledge, Men’s Accounts of Boarding Schools: Sent Away. For his fiction, his hard-boiled, gritty, and noir writing style has been likened to that of Raymond Chandler and Ken Bruen. He’s a massive fan of both of them. Credit: A.B. Patterson.

Rashida Tayabali is a features writer and copywriter based in Sydney, Australia. As a young girl she loved writing and reading. She always harboured a secret dream of becoming an author one day and seeing her books in libraries and bookshops. Life after Ali is her debut novel. Credit: Rashida Tayabali

Nural Seker lives in Melbourne, Australia with her husband, two children and their beloved Miniature Schnauzer, Albert. Nural and her family love soccer and actively support Melbourne Victory in the A-League. Nural graduated from RMIT University in 2001 completing a Bachelor of Applied Science (Applied Physics). In 2005 Nural received her Master of Applied Science, also from RMIT University, before going on to complete her Graduate Diploma of Education (Secondary) in 2005 from Monash University. Nural went straight into teaching and hasn’t left since. In 2022, she received completion certificates for coaching and practitioner in Neuro Linguistic Programming and Time Line Therapy™, in addition to in practitioner Hypnotist certification.
During her teacher career, Nural has taught Mathematics, Science, and Physics from years 7 – 12. She loves teaching and working with students and families. She has also spent several years as a middle years and senior years coordinator and has spent time, leading the middle and senior school coordination teams. In these roles, she Nural has gained valuable experience and insights into students, families, and teachers. Nural has begun her business Learn What Can’t Be Taught to do just this. Her website and course are currently under development at www.lwcbt.com.au.

Jennifer Recio Lebedev has over twenty-five years of experience as an English language teacher. Her early career included classroom instruction in Moscow and Boston as well as teacher training, program administration, and in-house publications. She has been online since 2007, offering live instruction and creating a range of digital content. Her YouTube channel, English with Jennifer, has over 1 million subscribers and 90 million views to date. She is a frequent conference presenter and was on Pearson's writing teams for Vocabulary Power and Next Generation Grammar, for which she also served as the Grammar Coach. Her Pearson-sponsored blog launched in 2008 and was recognized with an EDDIE Award in 2010. In November 2022, Jennifer published a collection of personal reflections entitled Being a YouTuber: One Creator’s Bumpy Road to 1M Subscribers. Credit: EnglishwithJennifer.com.

Dr Tracey Zielinski is a published non-fiction author with a background in clinical psychology. A natural educator, Tracey has an innate ability to explain complex ideas in simple and accessible ways. She paints pictures through metaphors and analogies that help her readers easily grasp the concepts she outlines in her self-help book, Get it Together Forever! The Ultimate Guide to Stepping into Control of Your Own Life. Always an avid reader, Tracey has, since publishing her first book, been writing fiction. Inspired by various short fiction competitions, she is currently building both her writing skills and a catalogue of short stories she plans to self-publish this year. Tracey is involved at an organizational level with a couple of local writing groups which provide both writing and mentoring opportunities. She delights in sharing her knowledge, ideas, and accumulated wisdom with others. It is her privilege to help others find their unique voice. Support Dr. Zielinski's work by visiting Get It Together Forever. 

Emily Goodwin (she/her) is a passionate researcher and writer with a background in journalism before making the leap to Digital Marketing Coordinator at Neon Supply, which suits her just fine since she also has a knack for project management and organizational systems implementation. Writing is a core part of her daily duties as a marketer and is interested in how technological advances will shape the future of writing.

Kara Stokes is an Australian SEO Copywriter for fitness and wellness brands. With over five years of copywriting experience and decades of hobby writing tucked into her backpack, she’s a master at creating engaging stories. When she’s not whipping up fresh, attention-grabbing messages for her clients, Kara loves to watch, read and write fantasy stories. She lives in stunning WA and spends her free time floating on the ocean, adventuring with her three kids and husband, or getting stronger in the gym. Learn more about Kara and her work by visiting karastokescopywriter.com.