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Karen Tyrrell

Genres: Picture Books, Junior Fiction, Middle-grade, Graphic Novels, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, History.

Publications:

Rosewood Then and Now (2025)
Logan Then and Now (2024)
Andy and Ghost Boy (2024)
Let's Play (2023)
Follow the Sugar Trail (2022)
Drought Rescue (Song Bird 5) (2021)
Great Barrier Reef Rescue (Song Bird 4) (2019)
Rainforest Rescue (Song Bird 3) (2018)
Ready Set Discover Logan (2018)
The Battle of Bug World (Song Bird 2) (2017)
Song Bird Superhero (Song Bird 1) (2016)
Jo-Kin vs Lord Terra (Super Space Kids 2) (2016)
Harry Help Grandpa Remember (2015)
Jo-Kin Battles the It (Super Space Kids 1) (2015)
STOP the Bully (2014)
Bailey Beats the Blah (2013)

Member Bio

KAREN TYRRELL is an award–winning child–empowerment author, Ambassador of Children’s Rights and teacher. She won many awards including Speech Pathology BOOK OF THE YEAR for Let’s Play, now translated into three languages. Karen was shortlisted for a Forevabilty Award.

Karen is a keynote speaker and writing workshop facilitator presenting mental health, eco, history and children’s rights topics.
Karen and husband Steve perform FUN storytelling sessions and readers theatre with costumes, puppets and props at libraries, writing camps, bookshops and festivals, once serving as Authors in Residence in Outback Queensland for 10 days. Karen writes and publishes commissioned picture books for organisations.

10 Questions with Karen

 

1. What draws you to writing for children specifically?
   As an Early Childhood teacher, I read thousands of books to children.
   Together my classes made FUN Big Books to read out loud. These
   powerful experiences inspire me to create NEW stories for children.
2. Which professional writing bodies are you a member of?

   Write Links, Book Links and SCBWI.

3. Who’s your dream publisher?

   Penguin, Wombat, Affirm, Hardie Grant, Perentie Press and UQP.

4. What writing resources (online, books or other) do you recommend?

   The Emotional Thesaurus by Ackman & Puglisi

5. How do you extend on your writing skills? (e.g. which course, writing groups, or conferences etc.)

   I attend Write Links, SCBWI or QWC workshops.

6. What are your writing goals?

   To be the best writer I can be and educate, empower and entertain children with my stories.

7. Are there any other creative projects you are working on that you would like to share?

   I’m writing a graphic novel, two middle-grade novels and several picture books.

8. Is there a particular theme or underlying subjects that run through your writing?

   Playful FUN, resilience, ECO topics and local history.

9. Who/ what inspires you?

   Children playing and being themselves … and books that touch your heart strings.

10. Have you got any inspirational writing quotes you would like to share?

    “I always kept two books in my pocket: one to read, one to write in.” — Robert Louis Stevenson