Rebecca Fraser's Blog

Flip is my new young adult novel, releasing on 4th September with Wombat Book’s sister press Rhiza Edge, as part of their awesome new ‘Rhiza Shorts’ list – bite-sized novels for reluctant or non-confident teen readers designed with minimal words for maximum impact.

I was stunned this week to learn Flip had received an early Kirkus review. Kirkus are notoriously brutal, so I was almost too scared to open it. I was so relieved to find it wasn’t just positive, it had earned a ‘Kirkus star’, meaning it’s been recognised in the top 10% in its readership.

Here’s an excerpt: “Realistic, well-written dialogue … exploration of rich and meaningful themes related to family losses, grief, and compassion. … A thoughtful, optimistic, and highly engaging novel with a strong sense of place and robust characterization.’ but you can read the full review here.

Flip will have an official launch at Antipodes Bookstore on Sunday 4th October, so save the date if you’d like to come along. I’ll be launching alongside the fabulous Coral Vass, who is releasing a title in the Rhiza Shorts list, and the wonderful Andrea Rowe is going to put on her MC hat! Watch this space for all the details <3

Want to know what Flip is all about? Click here.

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I was stunned and delighted to learn my short story ‘Blue Elephant‘ won Peninsula Writers’ Club 2025 Writer in Residence.

The Residency comes with extremely generous prizes thanks to the ongoing sponsorship of Community Bank Southern Peninsula. In an environment where the Arts are being increasingly devalued, support from Bendigo Bank is appreciated more than ever.

My thanks also go to judge award-winning author Nicole Hayes who no doubt had a difficult task. Judging literary comps is a lot of work and deliberation, especially when there’s many quality entries to consider and reflect upon.

Part of the prize is also a gift voucher towards my very own writing retreat at Dundas by the Sea. I can’t wait to write more words within their welcoming walls!

Biggest huzzahs to all who entered, with special congrats to Runner Up, Sarah Halfpenny, and Highly Commended, Carly Foster and Dawn Markowitsch. Such talent!

And of course, thanks to the amazing organisation and committee who drive this fabulous Residency prize, Peninsula Writers’ Club – their commitment to sharing and celebrating the stories of your members is so appreciated.

If you would like to read Blue Elephant, you’ll find it in the link here. I have had people messaging me telling me I made them cry with my speculative take on the ‘black dog’, so sorry (not sorry) if I make you cry too. I hope that means I’ve made you feel something, which, as a writer, I guess is all we can really hope for xx

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I’m excited to be back at Clunes this year! If you’re an aspiring author of children’s fiction, and gaining an understanding of how to navigate the path to publication is on your 2025 bucket list, head to Clunes Booktown Festival and make that tick!

Alongside award-winning authors Andrea Rowe and Emma Bowd, I’m co-facilitating a workshop that delivers insights into the different (and unique) routes to trade publication. We’ll be covering all KidLit readerships from board books, picture books, junior fiction, middle grade through to young adult works.

You’ll benefit from our shared experiences of navigating publishing pathways – from slush submissions to pitching, marketing, and networking, offering an honest and educational ‘peek behind the curtain’ of submissions and acceptance.

We’re going to have a whole lot of fun along the way, and you’ll ramp up the equipment in your writer’s toolkit with an in-house exercise that will change the way you think about yourself as a writer, and take home resources you’ll turn and return to as you look to the future with a professional and positive mindset.

Booking details are here: https://tickets.clunesbooktown.com.au/Events/Pathways-to-Children-s-Publishing

Signed books will be available all weekend from the wonderful Readings who have been a proud part of Melbourne’s literary landscape since the first store opened in Carlton in 1969.

Come for the day, or stay for the whole weekend! Clunes Booktown Festival is the most wonderful way to indulge your love of books browsing the extensive array of independent booksellers while attending author talks, panels and workshops, all set against a town straight out of a story setting: historic Clunes set in a valley surrounded by extinct volcanoes where echoes of our Gold Rush days can be heard down it’s architecturally-exciting streets!

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SAVE THE DATE, FRIENDS – THERE’S A BOOK LAUNCH IN TOWN!

The cat’s out of the bag! My new junior fiction novel, ‘Skippy Blackfeet’ is heading to Melbourne for a Sunday, March 16 launch at Readings Kids, Carlton Bookstore, and I’m feline super excited!

Readings have been such pawsome supporters of my work, and I’m thrilled to have them as my launch host. I’m doubly thrilled that the meowvelous Andrea Rowe Writer, another wonderful supporter of my work and a paw-sitive champion of children’s literature, will once again be my launch top cat!

‘Skippy Blackfeet’ is published as an illustrated hardcover novel by Wombat Books, with meowgic illustrations by the fur-ociously talented Jennifer Horn – Illustrator/Author

An engaging junior fiction novel by Australian author, Rebecca Fraser

That’s enough cat puns from me! Bookings are open now for RSVPS. I’ll have more launch information in the New Year, but in the meantime, pounce onto those calendars, and save the date.

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I’m excited to be appointed Convenor of the Judging Panel for the Poetry Category in this year’s Australasian Shadows Awards.

The Shadow Awards span a number of categories (short story, novel, graphic novel, edited publication, etc) and is given by the Australasian Horror Writers Association (AHWA) for “the finest in horror and dark fiction published by an Australasian within the calendar year”.

If you’ve published any dark fiction subs for the Awards opened 1 Dec and close 31 Jan. You’ll find all the details here. Good luck!

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I’m super excited to be part of the inaugural Western Port Writes Literary Festival. The Festival will run from Friday 6 to Sunday 8 September 2024 and celebrates creativity and the art of story.

The program will feature everything from author panels, in-conversations, interviews and readings to collaborative community events.

Hope to see you there!

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Are you headed to Clunes Booktown Festival this weekend? Come and say ‘G’day’! I’ll be buzzing around all weekend from Friday through to Monday morning.

I’m excited (and completely honoured) to be chairing a panel with Alice Pung, Tony Birch and Maxine Beneba Clarke (Joanna Murray-Smith had a clash of scheduling with a film project). We’ll be discussing ‘What makes a good story and how to keep the next generation reading’.

The panel sold out a while ago, but you can find me the rest of the weekend at the trade tables with some of my fellow Peninsula Writers’ Club crew. Come find us in the Service Street Precinct. We’ll be selling and signing, and generally soaking up the Clunes vibe.

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At Peninsula Writers’ Club’s 2022/23 AGM last weekend, I stepped down from the Executive Committee after five wonderful years as Vice President. With 2024 heralding new book and publishing deadlines, along with a teen in high school, and work and family commitments, the time was right to give this wonderful opportunity to someone else.

Our President, Andrea Rowe, also stepped down for similar reasons, paving the way for a new President to lead the Club. We both recognise the importance of new committee members for the health and vitality of the Club, and we feel so grateful to the 2024 Committee for volunteering their considerable time, resources, skills, expertise, and energy. Peninsula Writers’ Club is in excellent hands!

I have included my outgoing VP speech below, as it encapsulates everything I want to say about the Club I helped found as a not-for-profit organisation in 2019, which has gone on to become one of the nation’s most respected writing clubs for its remarkable program of professional events, workshops, masterclasses, and thriving member base. I’m so very proud of all we’ve achieved…

When I was reflecting on what I wanted to talk about today, the underlying theme that kept running through my head was gratitude. PWC came along for me at a time when I’d moved to the Peninsula from interstate, and was actively seeking a new writing community. There’s much truth to the old adage that writing is the loneliest of the arts, and for me, connecting with likeminded people has always been a big part of my literary life.

The very capable Sheena.

And so it was with gratitude that I turned up to my first writer’s club meeting in 2015. It was with appreciation that I accepted the role of Vice President when we turned NFP in 2019, and it is with the sincerest of thanks that I now step down from committee life after five wonderful years, and pass the VP baton to the very capable Sheena.  

Continuing with this theme of gratitude, I want to thank the current committee for their passion and commitment to PWC. You’ve been such fun to work with and, while we’re certainly capable of rolling our sleeves up and getting the job done, we’ve also had lots of laughs along the way. I’ve learned much from each of you, and I’m so proud to call you my friends.

‘Typo’ the Story Slam’ trophy. Carolyn just loves him!

Carolyn, I so admire your fastidious attention to detail. There’s no one quite like you when it comes to crossing i’s and dotting t’s. Your focus and ability to look at things with an analytical eye has led to many efficient new procedures and systems. You give generously of your time, and have such genuine care for our Club. You’ve been a fabulous Treasurer and I know Rob is going have a smooth handover thanks to your impressive record keeping. You’re going to make a wonderful president. You know you have our full support…and sooner or later, Typo will win you over too. Thank you, Carolyn – you’re an absolute force and I’m so excited for you and the Club.

Karen, our Secretary, who fills our cups with so much more than good minute taking, marvellous membership management, and magnificent earrings. Karen is the one of the most thoughtful people I know with a generous heart that was no doubt shaped long before her background in volunteer management. You’re quick with a laugh, and even quicker with a hug. Thank you for bringing your infectious laugh and emotional intelligence to the committee – you’re such a gift.

Muriel, our Wellbeing Ambassador, MC extraordinaire, and all round committee farm calmer when we’re being drama llamas. Thank you for your wise observations and insights, and for bringing fresh perspective to different, and sometime difficult, situations. Thank you also for your wicked jokes and cheeky sense of humour. You bring balance to the business, and prosecco to the planning, and you’re such a blessing.

Rob, our most recent committee recruit, who’s proven to be such an asset already. Now, just like Liam Neeson, Rob has a very particular set of skills. Not only does he make the best zucchini slice on the Peninsula, he’s also an enthusiastic ideas man. Rob, your contributions to the committee are refreshing in not only your delivery but in your considered evaluation. Your enquiring mind has encouraged committee to look at things through a different filter. Perhaps it’s because you’re a multi-talented film creative who’s comfortable on both sides of the camera…either way, Rob, your presence is certainly a present.

Standing proud with PWC’s incoming Committee. Left to Right: Andrea Rowe (Outgoing President), Muriel Cooper – Wellbeing ambassador, Sheena Robertson – Vice President, Carolyn Nicholson – President, Karen Young – Secretary, Rob Sutherland – Treasurer, Rebecca Fraser (Outgoing Vice President)

And that brings us to Andrea.

It came as no surprise when Andrea announced she was stepping away from committee life. She’s had an incredible couple of years with her writing career – success which has seen her win national awards, sign new contracts, and embrace career-shaping opportunities. The last two years have been a wild ride of book touring, school visits, and festival appearances, and next year will bring more of the same.

Personally, it’s been such a joy to watch Andrea’s star rise and rise. I know how hard she’s worked for this. As creatives, we all know there’s no such thing as an overnight success – it’s the culmination of years of skills development, determination, resilience and opportunity recognition.

And it’s thanks to this mindset that we’re all in this room today – a thriving, flourishing Club with a rolling program of professional level events and workshops, a sponsored writing residency prize, and – a gift to the whole of the Peninsula –  The Mornington Peninsula Shire Mayor’s Writing Awards.

We have a few special guests and new members joining us today who might not be familiar with PWC’s history, so I’ll give you a quick history lesson. Now I am partial to a bit of rhyming verse and when I was first thinking about this speech, I thought it might be fun to use that form, but I decided it didn’t quite convey the merit and weight Andrea’s contributions deserved. It was shaping up, however, like this…

In a tiny southern coastal town, we’ll call St Andrew’s Beach

Aspiring author, Andrea, was plotting how to breach

The barrier of distance when it came to writing life,

Melbourne was too far from home, the city traffic rife.

“There has to be a better way,” she muttered to Book Chook

“How can local writers prosper, when we’re always overlooked?

I know our Scribe Tribe’s out there, and our writing hearts beat strong,

But the city’s not the only place where writing clubs belong.”

Meet ‘Book Chook’
This dear little soul sits in Andrea’s office offering quiet clucks of support and inspiration

And so it was one fateful day, Andrea met with her friend Nikki

Their conversation stretched beyond a cuppa and a bicky!

For Nikki too confessed she felt the time was surely nigh

To give the legion writers of the Ninch a place to unify.

That was a very brief flashback to 2015 when a chance conversation between Andrea and fellow writer, Nikki Fisher, lamented the fact that, for the literary inclined, workshops, masterclasses, and skills development opportunities, meant a lengthy commute to the city.

Their ‘what if?’ moment, turned into something bigger, and their ‘build it and they will come’ mindset was the foundation for the first ever Peninsula Writers’ Club meeting – a small supper-style affair at Bistro Elba in Sorrento. Regional writers continued to emerge from their garrets in droves, and today we have a Club that has evolved into an organisation that not only delivers a full program of events and opportunities, it has enriched and enabled the lives of so many.

Andrea, we celebrate you for your tireless efforts and advocacy, and the sheer volume of voluntary time and resources you’ve donated to Peninsula Writers’ Club and the Mayor’s Writing Awards over the years. We recognise your determination and drive, and respect your seemingly inexhaustible energy. You know, with Andrea’s formidable ability to make things happen, it can be easy to forget that, like all of us, she has a life beyond and behind the screen. The legacy she leaves us with was forged from a place of busy family navigation, work juggling, health curve balls, and riding the great highs and lows the rollercoaster of life throws at us. I know I speak on behalf of both committee and members when I say, “Thank you, Andrea. You are so appreciated.

And it is with this appreciation in mind, the committee decided that one of the easiest and best ways we could honour you was by making you a life time member of Peninsula Writers’ Club. Please accept this plaque on our behalf and know that you can now never escape us! You’re here for life!

Bendigo Bank Community Grants Awards Night 2022Last Write In hosting as PWC Exec Committee 2023

What would our Club be without our members?

As I step down from the role of Vice President over the last five years, it is all of you I want to thank for your confidence and belief in me to help steer your Club, and deliver a program of events that continues to evolve based on what you’ve stated will best serve your writing aspirations.

Of everything we’ve achieved in this respect, one of the most rewarding things for me has been watching new friendships blossom among our members. These friendships come with so many multifaceted benefits. I’m talking book launches, book clubs, writing buddies, breakaway writing groups, beta readers, resource sharing, coffee catch ups, writing retreats, mentor moments, dinner dates, pub crawls, book fairs, writing festivals, literary luncheons, poetry slams, spoken words – the list goes on.

There are so many ways we’ve connected outside of Peninsula Writers’ Club’s official parameters, and so many meaningful friendships have been forged.

What a wonderful thing that is. Writing is the loneliest of arts, they say? Not true when you’re part of Peninsula Writers’ Club.

Thanks again, everyone. I’m looking forward to more fun and friendship with you all in 2024 and beyond.

Early days at Bistro Elba / Spoken Word 2016Four years on – Write In hosting at Seawinds 2020

My time as VP has been enriching in so many ways. I’ve learned so much, grown so much, met the most wonderful people and gained lifelong friends.

I got to share this ride with one of the most trailblazing women I know – the unstoppable force that is Andrea Rowe, someone I’m continually in awe of and inspired by. Thanks for the opportunities you’ve given me and so many other writers, Andrea.
‘Wing Woman’, out! <3

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My middle grade novel ‘Sea Glass’ has made the shortlist for the 2023 Reading’s Children’s Prize. I’m not only completely overjoyed by this news, I’m also completely blown away, honoured, and humbled, to find myself in such esteemed company.

Now in its 10th year, The Readings Children’s Prize is presented to the best contribution to Australian children’s literature from an emerging author. This is a bit of a bucket list moment for me, as I’ve followed the Prize for years, and, well *sniff*

Congratulations to the amazing authors on the shortlist. My biggest thanks to Readings, and of course to my publisher Wombat Books. #LoveOzMG

You can read the official announcement here.

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I’ve been sitting on this news for a little while, but now I’m super excited to announce I’ve got a new book coming out with Wombat Books.

‘Skippy Blackfeet’ is a junior fiction novel that introduces readers to Skippy Blackfeet – a very little cat with a very big heart – and how two lives change for the better when he meets a young girl called May. The story is told through Skippy’s point of view, and will appeal to anyone who’s ever questioned their place in the world.

This will be an illustrated work, and I’m so excited to have the talent of Jennifer Horn breathing life, movement, and whimsy into this story.

Will keep you posted on further news / release date. in the meantime, I can’t wait to share Skippy Blackfeet with readers, I’ve come to really love this little black cat!

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