Kate Forsyth has been writing since childhood, publishing her first novel at age 7 and continually writing since. She has since published over 40 books across many genres, including fantasy, historical fiction, fairy tale retellings, and young adult novels. Many of her works have been shortlisted for or won awards, and several have been international or national bestsellers. Forsyth draws inspiration from stories and continues to write across many formats.

1. KATE FORSYTH

2. I have
always
wanted
to be a
writer

3. I wrote my first novel
when I was seven

4. I wrote my second
novel when I was nine

5. I wrote my
third novel
when I was
eleven

6. I started a diary when I was eleven,
& have written in it nearly every day
since ….

7. I first tried to get
published
when I was sixteen

8. My first novel was published
when I was thirty

10. ‘Dragonclaw’ was short-listed for the 1997 Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Novel.
‘Dragonclaw’ was named one of the Best First Novels of 1998 by Locus.
‘The Cursed Towers’ was short-listed for the 1999 Aurealis Fantasy Award.
‘The Fathomless Caves’ reached No 7 on Booktrack’s bestsellers list.
‘The Tower of Ravens’ reached No 4 on the Australian bestseller list
‘The Tower of Ravens’ reached No 11 on the Barnes & Noble fantasy list
‘The Tower of Ravens’ was given five blue ribbons by ‘Romance Junkies’ website.
‘The Heart of Stars’ reached No 1 on the Australian fantasy/SF bestsellers list
It stayed in the Top 5 for almost a year

11. Since then I’ve had 40 books
published in 17 languages

12. MY MOST RECENT BOOKS

13. A Mother’s Offering to Her Children (1841)

14. THREE WRITER SIBLINGS
Belinda Murrell
Kate Forsyth
Nick Humphrey

15. I would read all day & as
late into the night as the
nurses would let me.
I dreaded the light being
turned off, I dreaded the
empty hours of the night.
Once my book was taken
away from me, all I could do
was lie there in pain, trying
to imagine myself back in its
pages.
Stories were escape.
Stories were magic.
'Stories as Salvation'
Kate Forsyth
Griffith REVIEW Edition 42:
Once Upon a Time in Oz
STORIES
MY ONLY SOURCE OF SUNSHINE,
MY ONLY SOLACE
"I used to imagine galloping up that
hill on a winged horse" …
Author Kate Forsyth used to dream of
flying away from it all
(Illustration by Simon Letch from
The Good Weekend)

16. PICTURE BOOKS

17. THE MAGICAL
MISADVENTURES

18. THE CHAIN OF CHARMS
The Gypsy Crown nominated for a CYBIL Award in the US
The Gypsy Crown won the Surrey ‘Book of the Year’ award in Canada
The Silver Horse, The Herb of Grace, The Lightning Bolt & The Butterfly in Amber
all won the Aurealis Award for Children’s Fiction in 2007
The Lightning Bolt was a CBCA Notable Book
The perilous adventures of two Romany children in the time of the English
Civil war

19. Hannah Rose Brown
was not quite 13 years
old when she
discovered her family
was cursed ....
The Puzzle Ring

20. THE PUZZLE RING
‘The Puzzle Ring’ was short-listed for
the 2009 Aurealis Award
for Best Young Adult Novel
& named an 'Unsung Hero of 2009'
by international bloggers

21. “I thought that this was a really
adventurous series that had me on the
edge of my seat at every page. I loved how
descriptive and interesting the books were,
and the touches of humour. I liked the
series so much I went as one of the
characters (Tom) for Book Week this year!”
Joe, aged 11 – Children’s Books Daily
Escape from Wolfhaven Castle
shortlisted for the 2017 YABBA Awards.
(And sssh! Optioned for a film!)

22. The Chronicles of
Estelliana
In 2002, The Starthorn Tree was short-listed for the Aurealis Award for Best
Young Adult Fiction, The Young Readers Choice award in WA & chosen for
the One Book, One City campaign in Brisbane.
‘Kate Forsyth enchants us
again!’
Good Reads review
Set in the magical world of Estelliana, a place of
wild magic and terrifying monsters …

23. KATE FORSTTH
&
FAIRY TALES

24. BITTER GREENS
A retelling of ‘Rapunzel’
entwined with
the true-life story
of the woman
who first told the tale
‘The best fairy tale retelling since
Angela Carter.’
“Bitter Greens is a masterpiece.”
‘Kate Forsyth is one of the most
wonderful storytellers
I've come across.’
‘Marvellous.’

25. Bitter Greens has sold more than a quarter of a million copies worldwide
It won the 2014 American Library Association Award
for Best Historical Novel
& was named No 27 in Dymocks’ 101 Best Books list in 2014
Bitter Greens was shortlisted for the 2012 Ditmar Award for Best Novel,
the 2012 Aurealis Award & the 2012 Norma K. Hemming Award,
for which it received an Honourable Mention
Bitter Greens was also chosen as one of the Best Historical Novels of 2014
by the Library Journal in the US
Bitter Greens was written as the creative component of Kate’s
Doctorate of Creative Arts
The theoretical component was published as
The Rescue of Rapunzel: A Mythic Biography of the Maiden in the Tower
The Rescue of Rapunzel won the
2016 Aurealis Special Convenors’ Award for Excellence

26. ‘The Wild Girl’ was named
the Best Love Story of 2013
by Australian Readers
The true story of the forbidden
romance behind the Grimm
Brothers’ famous fairy tales.

27. The American Library Association called
The Wild Girl
"a beautiful and often heartbreaking love story
that is sure to move and captivate readers.”

28. At once a suspenseful murder
mystery and a lyrical love story,
Dancing on Knives
is about how family
can constrict and liberate us,
how art can be both joyous &
destructive,
& how strength can be found
in the unlikeliest places.

31. Told in the voices of four
extraordinary women –
the wives and mistresses and
muses of the famous artists of
the Pre-Raphaelite circle –
BEAUTY IN THORNS
tells the story of love, desire,
obsession and tragedy that
lies behind the creation of
this famous depiction of
Sleeping Beauty.