Victoria Collins, author

While plotting my career as a famous novelist, I live in a sunny cottage in Canberra, Australia, where I grew up in the comfy suburbia of corner shops, Mr Whippy vans, neighbourhood bonfires on cracker night, and riding my bike to school.

My grandmother was an identical twin, which always fascinated me. I once asked my grandmother, or maybe it was her sister, ‘What’s it like to be a twin?’. She said, ‘What’s it like to not?”.

This is how it is with me and writing. It’s not a choice. It’s just me.

When I was a kid I also wanted to be Harry Butler. Giving up on a young girl becoming a middle-aged bearded naturalist, I turned to writing about our world instead. Also, he played with spiders. I don’t. Wombats, marmosets, and snow leopards are far preferable – and really old trees.

My writing is informed by a personal interest in researching ancient religions and indigenous magical lore; coupled with a passion for travel and meeting people living as many variations as possible on the human experience.

I’m fascinated by the idea that many ancient and indigenous cultures weave nature-based spirits and gods into their everyday belief systems – it is magic made real – and my stories share this common thread.

I’d love to use my writing to share people’s stories, with the hope of helping other silly humans bumbling through.  And hopefully entertain along the way.

I have a Bachelor of Professional Writing from the University of Canberra (1994), among other things, and a string of published poems, stories and articles. Most of my career has been in corporate communications and public affairs in both private and government sectors. I went for a 3-month writing/painting sabbatical in Tasmania in 2002 and stayed for three years, working as a freelance editor then indulging myself with my own community newspaper.  I returned home to edit a news magazine for Canberra, and, after another 3-month sabbatical to write my first novel (2008), fulfilled a childhood dream of becoming a teacher. Now I teach creativity, communications, journalism and media relations at Canberra Institute of Technology, which is fun and inspiring.  

For those agents and publishers reading, this also gives me a network of contacts in media, film and publishing – as well as among my target audience!

Oh… and I’m hunting for a literary agent!

(Note: header images on this site are clippings from my own paintings.)