2019 volunteers

Volunteer call-out for 2019 conference

Come and hear leading historical novelists from Australia and New Zealand – get the chance to meet them and be involved in this literary event. Volunteers benefits:

  • Attend panels and author sessions free of charge when not performing rostered duties
  • Lunch, morning tea, and afternoon tea provided

If you’re interested in being a volunteer at our conference, please send a one-page Expression of Interest outlining:

  • your previous event, customer service or hospitality experience (if any)
  • your reason for wanting to volunteer at the conference
  • your availability over the weekend of 25-27 October

to Gabrielle Ryan on gabryan5@gmail.com

Social media team

In the lead up to the sale of early-bird tickets we put out a call for volunteers to help with the social media and marketing aspects of the 2019 HNSA Conference. We had a fabulous response from a multi-talented group of historical fiction readers and writers. Their commitment and professionalism have been inspirational.  Here is the HNSA 2019 Social Media team. 

Robyn Andrew is the chronically ill author of A Lunatic’s Guide to Interplanetary Relationships series about chronically ill Shayne with a wormhole in her pantry and no clue. Robyn is a member of our Facebook Team.

Johanna Baker is currently in her final year of a Communications degree, majoring in Public Relations. She values the opportunity to share her love of history and creative writing, through volunteering, while also demonstrating skills learnt during her course. Johanna is a member of the Facebook team.

Sharon Barba majored in ancient history at the University of Western Australia and combines her love of history with travelling to exotic destinations featuring fabulous food, wine, shopping… and the occasional donkey. Her current work in progress is an historical series about the Gracchi, the Kennedy brothers of Republican Rome. Sharon is a member of our Facebook team.

Chris Bell is an award-winning Australian writer. Her debut novel The Swing Tree will be published by Impact Press (a Ventura Press imprint) March 2020. Chris has 35 short fiction titles published for children and her adult fiction has been published in various anthologies. She holds a Master of Creative Writing. Chris is a member of our Twitter team.

Lindy Cameron is author of the Kit O’Malley PI trilogy, Blood Guilt, Bleeding Hearts and Thicker Than Water; the archaeological history-mystery Golden Relic; and the action thriller, Redback. Lindy is a founding member and current President of Sisters in Crime Australia, the Publisher of Clan Destine Press, and is working on a novella series featuring time-travelling archaeologists. Lindy helps coordinate submissions for the News and Interviews section of our website.

Lou Greene won the 2017 HNSA First Pages contest. Since then she has continued to work on her debut manuscript, The Book Lovers, which was long-listed in the Richell Prize. Lou is also a recent recipient of an ASA Mentorship Award. Lou writes for the News and Interviews section of our website.

Roanna Gonsalves is the author of The Permanent Resident (UWAP) which won the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards Multicultural Prize 2018, and was longlisted for the Dobbie Award. Her four-part radio documentary series, On the tip of a billion tongues (ABC RN Earshot) is a portrayal of contemporary India through its multilingual writers. Roanna is a recipient of the Prime Minister’s Australia Asia Endeavour Award and a member of our Twitter team. She also contributes to the News and Interviews section of our website.

Pamela Hart is an award-winning author of historical novels. Her most recent novel is The Desert Nurse, set in WWI, which tells the story of a nurse working with the ANZAC wounded in Egypt and the Sinai. At HNSA 2019, she will be teaching a workshop on Making Research Work for You. She will also be part of the panel – The things we don’t know: research challenges across eras. Pamela is a member of our Facebook team.

Patricia Leslie’s novels mix known and hidden history with magic and myth. Her 2018 release, Keeper of the Way, mixes it up in Sydney 1882 exploring social history, magical traditions brought to the Colony from Scotland and Ireland, and the destruction of the Garden Palace. Patricia is a member of our Facebook team and a contributor to our News and Interviews.

p.d.r. lindsay makes New Zealand home. Born in Ireland, brought up in Yorkshire, educated in England, Canada and New Zealand, p.d.r. lindsay writes historical stories about ordinary people whose names and lives we don’t know much about.

Christa A. Ludlow has a Master or Arts (Writing) and has worked as a historical researcher, museum curator, lawyer and workplace investigator. She is the author of Taken At Night, a historical mystery about photography, medicine and murder, set in Sydney in 1900. A sequel is planned for publication in 2019. Christa contributes to News and Interviews.

Lynette McDermott is a lawyer and writer who is fascinated by human nature and the reality that truth is indeed often stranger than fiction. Her Garth Trilogy traces the stories of her ancestors and their amazing stories unfolding over five generations. Lynette is a member of our Facebook team.

Jennifer Maplestone is working on her first novel of historical fiction and is part of the Four Centres Emerging Writers Program in WA. She teaches English and Literature to teenagers and in another life was a professional Historian. She lives in Perth and will make her second trip across the Nullarbor for the HNSA Conference. Jennifer is on our Twitter team and a contributor to News and Interviews.

Kate Murdoch exhibited widely as a painter both in Australia and internationally before turning her hand to writing. Her debut novel, Stone Circle, was a first-place winner in the 2018 Chaucer Awards 2018 for pre-1750’s historical fiction. Her novel, The Orange Grove, about the passions and intrigues of court mistresses in 18th century France, will be published by Regal House Publishing in 2019. Kate is a member of our Twitter team.

Kamini Navin spent years in the communications and marketing sector before making a career change to Academic Services at University of Melbourne. She is mostly found in neighbourhood op shops scouring for books and Russian Matryoshka dolls. She likes chasing sunsets, travelling and adores a typical British afternoon tea. 

Jack Ngo is studying full-time at Western Sydney University, and is majoring in Marketing in his final year of the degree. He has a particular interest in book reading as well as devoting his time to learning new things every day. He loves volunteering and contributing to the wider community. It brings him great happiness to know that the things he does can actually result in a better future for all of us. Jack is helping with the publication of our monthly newsletter.

Catherine T Wilson co-writes with Catherine A Wilson (no relation). Their first book, The Lily and the Lion, was based upon their true life accidental meeting and resulting friendship. All four books in their ‘Lions and Lilies’ series have won first place prizes in the Chatelaine/Chaucer Awards in the US and last year The Traitor’s Noose won the Grand Prize Chaucer Award. Last on the list but certainly not the least, Catherine is on our Twitter and Facebook teams and she also contributes to News and Interviews.

Elizabeth Jane Corbett is the Social Media Coordinator for HNSAustralasia. Her debut historical novel, The Tides Between, was named a Children’s Book Council of Australia Notable Book for older readers. At HNSA 2019, she will be part of the Feminine Mystique panel and will also be revelling in some Regency Madness.

Robyn Andrew
Johanna Baker
Sharon Barba
Chris Bell
Lindy Cameron
Lou Greene

Roanna Gonsalves
Pamela Hart
Patricia Leslie
Christa Ludlow
Lynette McDermott

Jennifer Maplestone
Kate Murdoch
Kamini Navin
Jack Ngo
Catherine T Wilson
Elizabeth Jane Corbett

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