Samantha Wheeler: The road to publication
The path to getting a book published is long and arduous, but with
the help of the Queensland Writers' Centre and a development program
with Allen & Unwin, former science teacher, Samantha Wheeler was
on her way. Her Agricultural Science degree developed an already
strong focus on the environment and this is reflected in her two
novels, Smooch and Rosie (2013), Spud and Charli
(2014) and again is a theme within the book she is writing while
staying at the May Gibbs Children's Literature Trust studio at
Norwood. Samantha was awarded a May Gibbs Fellowship for 2015 and
used her creative time residency during the month of February.
With themes of koala rescue, losing the farm to developers, horses
and now the endangered cassowary, her work resonates with younger
readers who take these ideas to heart. Following the tradition of
Colin Thiele's wonderful adventure stories with a strong focus on
the environment, Samantha has found a niche for that hard to satisfy
middle primary reader.
Knowing she wanted to write, Samantha took a course at the
Queensland Writer's Centre, where she listened, wrote and discussed
her work. With a manuscript in hand she then attended a weekend
conference where she was able to sit down with a publisher, an agent
and an author to further refine her work and gain valuable advice.
This advice she took to heart and attended a development program
with Allen & Unwin. Samantha attended a workshop several years
later and found to her great satisfaction that the editor reading
her work noted that she had taken her advice and expressed an
interest in her work. Leonie Tye at University of Queensland Press
gave Samantha her start and Smooch and Rosie was published
in 2013.
At the same time, the annual book, One story, many Brisbanes
was published by the Brisbane City Council, containing one of her
stories. She had noticed the ad in the paper for short story writers
to submit and as the due date was only a few days away she set about
writing a tale to send in. Again, the Brisbane City Council arranged
for mentors to help refine and edit the stories submitted and her
story was accepted for the 2010 edition.
Following the success here, she had another story accepted for
publication at UQP, and both books have now had a second reprint.
Eager to please that hard to satisfy range of kids, she actively
listens to what they have to say and is able to pass this on to her
publisher.
The plight of the cassowary is her present preoccupation, as she
writes a tale about a boy whose father is less than useful as a dad.
The parallel with the cassowary makes for an interesting concept, as
this bird, like the emu is responsible for bringing up his chicks.
The cassowary's endangered status gives this story a strong
environmental focus. See the link
for information about this amazing bird.
Like many writers, Samantha is eager to gather resources, ideas and
thoughts but networking is of prime importance. While in Adelaide
she was the guest speaker at a May Gibbs Children's Literature Trust
function at the Burnside Public Library and took in the cafes of
Norwood Parade, and visited the cassowary at the Adelaide Zoo.
Born in England, her parents moved to Zimbabwe when she was young,
where she spent her early years having the freedom of always being
outside and enjoying the environment. She has also lived in
Hong Kong, Adelaide and Brisbane. Brisbane is now her home where she
lives with her husband and daughter, and she is involved with many
of the issues brought to the fore in her books.
To find out more about Samantha go to
http://www.samanthawheeler.com.au/
http://www.uqp.uq.edu.au/Author.aspx/1706/Samantha%20Wheeler
Fran Knight