Zena Shapter is a British-Australian fiction writer based in Sydney. She has won multiple awards for her short stories and has been published in anthologies. She founded and still leads the widely attended Northern Beaches Writers' Group based in Manly, Sydney; blogs on the subject of contemporary book culture; and enjoys meeting fans, readers and writers on social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Goodreads. She has a BA (Hons) in English Literature from the University of Birmingham, England; has had her writing studied at university; and her debut novel Towards White is represented by literary agent Alex Adsett.
Zena frequently attends writing festivals and publishing talks (just email her for details), and teaches seminars on social media for writers and advanced creative writing techniques.
If you'd like to know more about Zena and how she became a writer, you're welcome to read her complete biography. She's also given an interview or two over the years. Here are a few favourites:
The View From Here Literary Magazine – on winning competitions, the pitfalls of social media, common mistakes unpublished writers make, Iceland & Zena's debut novel
Ebon Shores: Wednesday Writers – trying not to miss the whole and genuine sublimity of writing
Emerging Writers' Festival Bootcamp Leaders – talking about discipline, distance & the delight of being original
Walterblog Author Tips – on social media, getting more followers and what we should be blogging
Aussie Snapshot 2012 – celebrating the breadth and depth of Australia’s speculative fiction scene
Stringybark Author Profiles – Zena's best definition of speculative fiction & what it means to her
Ringside Radio Interview – on exploring the commonality of humankind
The Next Big Thing – all about her debut novel Towards White
Stay in touch with Zena through any of the above social media, or by subscribing to her blog.
