Bios

 Our bios

Meet Pat Toomer

 Pat is a lifelong reader with an eclectic taste in literature ranging from Louisa May Alcott to whodunnits and everything in between.  

A career in Nursing and Midwifery, then later, a Degree in Social -Work informs the strong emotions felt in her career, into her writing.

Along with a colleague, Pat initiated an older women’s theatre group, the ‘Silver Sirens.’ A career highlight for her, proving that one is never too old to try new things. Her first book-length manuscript follows soldiers returning from the First World War with tuberculosis, and the woman who cared for them.

              Pat is a former judge of the Primary School section, and now coordinator of the Laura Literary Awards that attract over three hundred entries Australia wide.

The young O’Reilly family in the harsh 1880s Western Australia, is her novel in progress.

 A family tragedy changes the lives of William and his small children, Molly and Ellen. Young as they are, the girls learn skills that will take them into the future.

              William searches for answers in the newly discovered goldfields of Western Australia that test his resilience and perseverance when the adventure threatens his life.

               A whimsical sense of humour lightens the darker days and runs throughout. The novel is one of love, desire, delight, heartbreak, grief, adventure, bad choices, and consequences.

Pat’s family, with their unique, quirky sense of humour infiltrates her writing.

Singing gives her much pleasure, not always appreciated by an embarrassed daughter, known to jab an elbow into her ribs in the mall. Undeterred, she sings with Crystal Singers in Crystal Brook and practices short story writing each month with the Rocky River ‘Riters.

A research trip to WA, put on hold because of COVID, has been a pleasure in September of 2022.   

 

Pat Toomer 2022 

meet Ivey Truscott

meet Margot Albrecht

meet P.A  Panickar

P.A. Panickar is an emerging writer and aspiring poet. She is a member of Writers SA and is currently undertaking a one year course in writing development with Hay House Publications. She has a PhD in feminist economics and works as a teacher, team leader and academic. In her professional life, she writes curriculum, is the principal editor of a staff and student newsletter, runs an employability program and is committed to engaging learners and engendering multiple perspectives.

This biography celebrates the birth of her first novel which she is currently editing. It is based in south-east Asia, where she grew up. It is a work of women’s fiction allowing the circumstances and struggles of females living in south=Indian diaspora to be examined. In particular, the practice of ‘grooming’ is uncomfortably yet safely explored through a youthful gaze. The book is also a delightful trek through Singapore and Malaysia in the seventies; delectable dishes from the south-east Asian kitchen excite the palate; and ghosts from cultural lore enthral and terrify. It is written in a brand of Singaporean cheeky humour which lightens and enriches the text.

Pearl’s writing is underpinned by her vision of a world shaped by ethics and social justice, and her mission is to raise less heard voices and uncover invisibilities. Her pen worthy companions include a novelist circle of South Australians who meet every month, and a weekly writing group comprised of women of colour mostly from the USA. She loves food, gardening, ecology, singing, yoga, large sculptures, the sea and of course, writing.

 

‘The world is changed through a reader’s eyes, one word at a time.’

                                                                                                P.A. Panickar, 2022, Adelaide, South Australia