Candice is an Australian author, editor and workshop facilitator. She’s published 10 books for children and one for adults, Unloched, which won a commendation in the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards for an unpublished manuscript. Her quirky style, fast-paced narratives and originality appeal to young readers in particular. Her second chapter book series for children will be published in 2019.
Candice has a Bachelor of Communication / Diploma of Arts (Professional Writing and Editing) and is a member of the Golden Key International Honour Society. She was a Media Manager for several years before deciding to devote her time to creative writing.
When not writing, she can usually be found on a beach somewhere, with a book in hand.
WHAT CYA CONFERENCE DID FOR ME
I first attended CYA Conference several years ago, when I moved to Queensland. It was an invaluable learning experience about writing and publishing in kidlit, and I immediately felt part of the local writing community.
I later found the courage to submit a story, Eco Rangers: Pelican in Peril to the CYA published author competition. I was surprised and thrilled it was highly commended. More importantly, I gained that all-important feedback I needed, and after some reworking, it was accepted by my publisher, New Frontier Publishing. The book will be published in 2019 as the first in the Eco Rangers series.
Update (07 January 2022)
I had a very lucky year in 2016 when the two stories I submitted to the CYA competition for published authors were highly commended. A few years later, (and after some significant revisions), the first of these, Eco Rangers, was published. It then became a three-book series.
It's taken quite a while longer for the second story I submitted to gain an acceptance. Ocean Warriors: The Rise of Robo-Shark will be published in February 2022 with Storytorch Press. This story has also undergone a lot of changes between then and now, but I also never gave up on it. I kept on submitting it to publishers until I found someone who believed in it as much as I did. Attending CYA Conference over the years has helped me understand the industry and I hope that reading success stories like mine inspires others to persevere and know publishing dreams can come true.
