I originally posted this in 2018 and I wanted to update it a little to add some other Australian authors that I have since discovered and thoroughly enjoyed. It’s going to make it a chonky post so I hope you make it all the way through.
John Marsden – born in Victoria in 1950, he had an interest in writing from a young age. He was a teacher and has written many books, he is successful internationally as well as at home.
The Tomorrow when the War Began series was my favourite series as a young teen. A group of kids go camping for a weekend and when they get back they discover that their area/country has been invaded. Their loved ones are held captive, so they do the only thing they can do – Guerrilla warfare. Ellie and her friends are a diverse bunch with many skills, they use these country kid skills to cause mayhem for the invading forces. I absolutely loved the idea of kids kicking arse and taking it to the bad guys. The relationships between the kids were complex and well written. John Marsden didn’t skim over the details, he handled the mental challenges the kids faced really well, the fallout for them. It’s not all sunshine and lollipops, these kids go through hell and their mental health reflects this. I still reread this series every couple of years. I cannot wait for my daughter to read this series. There are seven books in the series and I just discovered a follow-up series called the Ellie Chronicles that I have yet to read.
(2021 update – My daughter was not a fan of this and didn’t even make it through the first book… Does this mean I failed as a mum? lol)
Melina Marchetta – born in Sydney, Melina’s first novel Looking for Alibrandi won an award which she followed up with the following year with an another award-winning book. She writes YA contemporary and fantasy.
“People with lost personalities will suffer a great deal more than those with lost virginities.”
― Melina Marchetta, Saving Francesca
“Living is the challenge. Not dying. Dying is so easy. Sometimes it only takes ten seconds to die. But living? That can take you eighty years and you do something in that time.”
― Melina Marchetta, Looking for Alibrandi
I was introduced to Melina Marchetta in year 11, when I had to study Looking for Alibrandi, and it has stuck with me ever since. I’m slowly collecting all her work. My favourite so far is The Piper’s Son. There is something incredibly authentic about the way she writes families. The issues her characters face are relevant and reflect society. I’ve only read her contemporary works so far, she is consistently amazing. I am looking forward to her fantasy series The Lumatere Chronicles this year.
(2021 update – I still haven’t read her fantasy series even though it’s been on my shelves for 3 years.)
Megan Jacobson – Originally from Darwin and then later on NSW, Megan released her debut book Yellow in 2016, followed by The Build-Up Season in 2017. She writes hard-hitting contemporary.
Yellow was my favourite discovery of 2016. Megan Jacobson writes the most amazing dialogue, it’s so realistic. The topics covered in her books are tough; while her books have some of the most beautiful covers you will ever come across, domestic violence is a strong theme throughout both of her books. I found the way she helped us empathise with those who we would normally judge, fantastic. I’m looking forward to seeing what she comes up with next.
Ian Irvine – He is a fantasy / sci-fi author who has written over 30 novels. He has more than 4 separate series to his name.
I’ve read three of Ian Irvine’s series so far and the detail in them all is so intricate and at times a little overwhelming. But the worlds are original, and fascinating. Well worth getting into.
Jay Kristoff – Originally from Perth, he is now located in Melbourne. He is an international best-selling author, who not only writes on his own, but he also works on books with Amie Kaufman. He is incredibly interactive on Social media with his fans and gives us awesome insights into his writing process.
I’ve only read four of Kristoff’s books, his writing is beautiful, especially in Nevernight. In it we watch Mia fall from her position as a rich kid, to homeless child. She is fearless, literally as she has a darken attached to her, that drinks in her fear. She heads off to Assassin school to learn the skills needed to destroy those who killed her family. She is fierce, brutal, strong and sweet. This isn’t a YA fantasy, its gritty, grim, dark and fucking brilliant. FYI that was the worst ever sum up of Nevernight, it’s actually one of my favourite fantasy series ever. Also his Illuminae series that he co-writes is absolutely fantastic. He writes wonderful, diverse characters who are brilliantly flawed. So much love for his work, looking forward to getting my hands on the rest of his work.
Khaiah Thomson – 
A very new to me author, I met her in the hairdressers a couple of weeks ago. She has one book out so far with the next one due out pretty soon. She is from Western Australia and started writing her first book when she had her kids.
Welcome to Blackwood is her debut novel and it features all of your favourite fantasy creatures. Hot guys, shifters, telepaths, syphons and more, this book has something for everyone. It is set in a small town, has fantastic character development, lots of secrets, rival packs, and the writing is gorgeous. Well worth a look. I think it has been optioned for a movie as well.
Alan Baxter is British/Australian, but after you read a couple of his books you will realise he is definitely more Australian than British. So I feel like I can include him on this list. He writes Horror, fantasy, thrillers and more. He really has something for everyone.
He consistently writes fantastic, realistic characters that worm their way into your heart and then puts them in the most fucked up situations. Manifest Recall brought Eli Carver to life, who is still one of my favourite characters. Hidden City had me in tears over a literal city. And The Roo brings a the mythical giant kangaroo to life and delves into outback Australia living.
Well, I’ve added a few more and it sums up just a few of my favourite Australian Authors. Have you read any of them? I’ll continue to update or write a new post once I have some more to add to the list.
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