Being invited to give the commencement address at the University of Canberra’s Orientation Week. Speaking at the same festivals as my literary heroes, including Melina Marchetta and Morris Gleitzman – their books inspired me to become an author in the first place.
Winning the State Library of Victoria’s 2015 Gold Inky Award. What have been the highlights of your career? I feel like an evil puppeteer whenever I put my characters in tricky, emotional, awkward and heartbreaking situations, however it’s amazing to see how they twist and turn their way out of them. It’s also common to see themes of love, friendship, family, self-doubt, bullying, embracing flaws and feeling like a fish out of water woven through my work. They’re often outside their comfort zone, or at a complicated crossroad point where the next step involves facing their fears, or, in many cases, they’re still discovering what they want – and need – in the world. I’m drawn to writing big-hearted underdogs who haven’t quite got it all worked out yet. Video store chick, academic tutor, magazine features writer, deputy editor, chief sub-editor, managing editor, copywriter… the list goes on! I loved these roles because they involved working with fellow creative souls, wrangling words on the page and, in many instances, pop culture and telling stories about fascinating people. After studying journalism and creative writing at the University of Canberra, I moved to the heart of Sydney and have lived there for the past decade. I was born and raised in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales.
Gabrielle’s third YA novel, Remind Me How This Ends, and first picture book, Pip and Pop (illustrated by Sue deGennaro), both hit shelves in 2017. An advocate for “paying it forward”, Gabrielle is also the founder of the web Q&A series, The Bottom Rung, which is an online hub to help students gain confidence before entering the workplace. She has also been featured on Weekend Today, Triple J’s Breakfast With Matt & Alex, ABC Radio and in various media publications. Gabrielle has shared her passion for storytelling and creativity at numerous events, including the Sydney Writers’ Festival’s Children’s Festival of Moving Stories, Somerset Celebration of Literature, National Young Writers’ Festival and the Children’s Book Council of Australia’s National Conference. Her YA novel, The Intern, won the State Library of Victoria’s 2015 Gold Inky Award, and its sequel Faking It is out now. Gabrielle Tozer is an internationally published author with a background in journalism, editing and copywriting.
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