Nikki McWatters has had a varied career from film and television acting to law Her books include two memoirs: One Way or Another, about her teenage obsession with rock stars and Madness, Mayhem and Motherhood, a heartfelt but humorous look at her years struggling as a single mother with depression. Nikki’s young adult novels include the Systir Saga novels; Hexenhaus, Liberty and Saga (to be released July 2019). The loose trilogy can be read in any order or as stand-alone books and introduce readers to real, young and heroic women who the history books managed to overlook. Nikki aims to redress HISstory with a bit of HERstory! Young women accused of being witches, warrior women and girls who change the world through their words, these empowering feminist reads weave historical content with contemporary contexts to show how history tends to repeat itself and suggests that we should learn from our past mistakes and misconceptions regarding women and their place in society.
Nikki’s One Way or Another was shortlisted for a Queensland Premier’s Literary Award. Hexenhaus was long-listed for a Davitt Award and her short fiction has appeared in many anthologies and has won the prestigious international MOTH AWARD (Ireland).
Nikki is the spokesperson and ambassador for the annual Vinnies Sleepout which raises money for the homeless. She lives with her husband and five (yes five) children in the Blue Mountains and is currently working on a young adult ghost story/psychological thriller while adapting her Systir Saga books for the screen.
Read the review of her latest book Liberty here:
Testimonials
Saga
Liberty
Hexen Haus
Madness Mayhem and Motherhood
One Way or Another
Featured Speakers
Stop Press
Welome to Term 2
Hope that everyone has had a relaxing break.
If you haven't already secured your booking for Book Week, please get in touch - we still have availability for some wonderful speakers.
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| Speaker | Location | Tour dates | Book now |
|---|---|---|---|
Melbourne | 25 Jun - 27 Jun 2025 | ||
Newcastle | 01 Jul - 02 Jul 2025 | ||
Gold Coast / Brisbane | 14 Jul - 24 Jul 2025 | ||
Brisbane / Gold Coast | 22 Jul - 25 Jul 2025 | ||
Brisbane | 23 Jul - 25 Jul 2025 |
What people are saying
Krista interacted keenly with all year levels from Prep to Year 6 and the content of her talks was engaging. Would recommend her to others and definitely book her again to present at our College.
Our expectations were met and exceeded. Everything ran smoothly and Donna was very flexible about fitting into our program. I would book Donna Dyson again and I would also recommend her to other schools / organisations.
Sandhya Parappukkaran’s session was focused on brainstorming ideas for writing topics. The students left the session truly inspired, begging to continue with their ideas when we returned to class. We have since been able to use these techniques in the classroom. This was an excellent session where the students learnt great skills, including incorporating their own cultures or special memories into their writing.
I was very appreciative of the help you gave me
Excellent! Great class. Instructions how to write a story were so easy to follow for young children.
Zena’s workshops and presentations were thoroughly engaging. Zena worked with groups with a range of abilities – all came away feeling empowered and keen to put their new skills into action.
Zillmere Library had a good turnout for the Katherine Howell event. Katherine spoke really well and the audience really enjoyed the presentation. They had lots of questions for Katherine which she willingly answered, and she was happy to stay a little while after the talk to mingle with anyone who wanted to chat with her. Overall it was a great event, and we would definitely recommend Katherine Howell for future author talks.
Liz was very enthusiastic and a pleasure to work with. She engaged the children very well and they all enjoyed the session immensely. We received nothing but positive feedback from parents, wanting to know more about Liz and her work.
Philip Wilcox was highly motivating. The students responded well and created excellent poems. The showcase was well attended and exciting. Phil was very generous with his time.
R.A. Spratt captivated our Year 4, 5 and 6 boys as part of her tour. We were lucky enough to secure her this year as part of our Book Week and she didn't disappoint. She shared valuable insights into her writing process, read excerpts of her latest book, 'Hamlet is Not Ok' and interacted with our young audience with enthusiasm keeping them entertained the full hour! I recommend this speaker to any primary school.
GenreCon is always a tough gig – we ask authors to stand up in a room of their peers and share insights, experiences, and advice that will appeal to writers who have already moved past the 101 conversations. Amy Andrews occupies a relatively unique position among that crowd – an author with a deeper back list than most of our attendees, a passion for writing and the romance genre, and the experience to hold an audience in the palm of her hand. We invited her as a guest of honour and keynote [...]
Jane Smith’s visit was very educational and informative. It made students want to learn more about characters in her books and read her books.