Sue-Ellen Pashley
Date of Success:
2018
Contacted and Published following an editor assessment
A writer of copious amounts of words – just because if they didn’t come out, she’s sure they’d make her head explode – Sue-Ellen is an international author with four published stories: Aquila, When Henry Met Gina, The Jade Goddess and Streamer, with her children’s picture book, The Jacket, released in May, 2019. From being an avid reader and writer as a child to studying literature at university, she’s always loved the written word and where it can transport her.
In her 'other' life, Sue-Ellen is a social worker and lives in Central Queensland with her ever-patient family and a menagerie of animals, including snakes, turtles, lizards, dogs and fish. She’s an eternal optimist who enjoys making things difficult for her protagonists but loves a satisfying ending.
WHAT CYA CONFERENCE DID FOR ME
In 2016, I attended CYA for the first time… and loved it. The friendliness, the opportunities to both learn and pitch, the support – worth the journey down to Brisbane each year since! In this first year, I had an assessment with Maryann Ballantyne from Blackdog Books and was offered a contract for my picture book ‘The Jacket’. To say I was excited doesn’t quite do it justice and everyone at CYA were so beautifully supportive. And while the journey has been a little longer than I expected (The Jacket came out in 2019), CYA allowed me to have the opportunity to pitch in the first plac