How It Started

 I'd been writing for about three years when I found myself impulsively entering the Emerald, the Romance Writers of  Australia's annual contest for unpublished manuscripts.  At this point, no one had read my stories except for a few trusted friends, and I hadn't even given editing a thought.  My technical knowledge in terms of formatting was so bad, the contest coordinator had to instruct me on how to  set a margin in a Word document!

I sent off my entry, and decided it was all good experience.  Perhaps I'd get some constructive feedback...even if I came last.

When I made it through to the second round of the contest, I was stunned.  When I made it to the finals I was flabbergasted.

When  I won...well, let's just say everyone is very polite when they talk  about it, but I know for a fact I staggered up to the stage at the  awards ceremony and rambled incoherently for about five minutes in front  of three hundred people whilst clutching a trophy in shaking hands. It was one the scariest, and most proud moments of my life.

You can read more about my writing origins story in Multi-Award Winning Author, Tamar Sloan's, reference book, Grit for Writers. Why passion and perseverance are the keys to your writing success.

Established in 2018, Gumnut Press is a small independent publishing company based in Perth, Western Australia with a passion for producing engaging books that challenge, excite and inspire every reader.

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Gumnut Press is committed to providing writers with opportunities to inspire and encourage the author within.

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My first foray into the world of being a published author was in 2012 with an independent USA publishing house called Secret Cravings.  Although they ceased trading in 2015, they made my first publishing experience a true joy and I will always be grateful for everything they taught me.  Thank you to Sandy, Dawne, Larriane, Jean and all the wonderful team who taught me how to turn my story into a published book