PODCAST: Jacqueline Harvey & Kristin Darell on how they got into the publishing industry

Kristin Darell has been a passionate storyteller since she was a child. Whether it was making up adventures with her twin sister, or writing about the world around her, she was rarely found without a pen and paper in hand. As an adult, she made this passion her life. She worked as a broadcast news and sports journalist for major Australian news organisations for more than twenty years.After the birth of her two children, Kristin re-focussed her attention on writing for children. As an author, she has contributed to children’s writing anthologies and is publishing her debut junior fiction series in 2022.Kristin is a strong advocate for children’s literature, working as the Program Manager for the Australian Children’s Laureate Foundation. She lives on Sydney’s northern beaches with her husband, two children, two dogs, pet snake and three-legged pygmy bearded dragon.

Jacqueline Harvey worked in schools for many years but has had a passion for storytelling since she was a child. She is the author of the popular Alice-Miranda, Clementine Rose and Kensy and Max series, which have sold over one million copies in Australia alone. Her books have received numerous short-listings and awards while her picture book, The Sound of the Sea, was a CBCA Honour Book. Jacqueline speaks to thousands of young people at schools and festivals around the world, and says the characters in her books are often made up of the best bits of children she’s met over the years. While she is not a twin, like Kensy and Max she does have excellent powers of observation and has always thought she’d make a great spy. Jacqueline lives in Sydney and is currently working on more Kensy and Max adventures, and some exciting new projects too.