Julia Lawrinson
Julia Lawrinson was born in 1969, and grew up in the outer suburbs of Perth. She left school at age fifteen, and worked in various jobs, including at the supermarket checkout, and as a chambermaid, barmaid, roadhouse attendant and weighbridge operator, before returning to study at Murdoch University in her late teens. She completed a PhD in writing in 2004 and also has postgraduate qualifications in education. Her first novel, Obsession, won the 2001 WA Premier's Prize for Young Adult Writing, and was followed by Skating the Edge(2002, Fremantle Arts Centre Press), Loz and Al(2004, Fremantle Arts Centre Press), Bad Bad Thing(2005, Lothian) and Suburban Freak Show(2006, Lothian), Bye, Beautiful (2006, Penguin) and The Girl Who Fell Into A Book (2006, Penguin).
Julia speaks to groups from upper primary through to upper school. Her presentations are generally interactive, using drama as a way of getting kids 'into' the books. For older classes, she talks about the connections between her novels and the life material that fed them. Julia particularly likes working with 'difficult' classes - kids who don't necessarily think reading and writing is a cool thing to do.
Julia is currently a speechwriter for the Western Australian Department of Health and continues to write fiction in her spare time. She and her family live in Perth, but she travels regularly to the eastern states to talk about her books.
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