Lellie's real name is Kellie. Kellie has a writer’s heart but a business mind. She spent almost a decade as a bookseller, managing an independent bookstore and then an Angus and Robertson. She won many merchandising awards and was awarded the A&R national award for store standards and operations.

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Despite all this, when A&R collapsed, she didn’t see it coming. Kellie spent the next decade learning what went wrong at A&R by sitting in business classrooms and she has spent the past 6 years standing out the front of them. She lectures with La Trobe university in Data Analysis, Statistics, Market Research, Consumer Behaviour, International Management, Human Resources, Sustainability, and Entrepreneurship.

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Kellie (and Lellie) have won several writing awards including:

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Longlisted - 2024 Noble Hawk Illustration Prize

Honourable Mention - 2024 Purple Dragonfly Book Awards

Shortlisted - 2023 NYC Midnight 250 Word Flash Fiction Writing Competition

Finalist - 2023 Wishing Shelf Book Awards

Winner - 2011 Marshall Allan Hill Writing Competition - ‘My Brother, Born Sleeping.’

Shortlisted - 2010 Smories UK - 'Can you do it too?' (Jump!)

Finalist  - 2010 Smories UK - ‘Lucy's bone tree.’

Winner - 2010 Smories UK - ‘Sister for sale!’

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Although Kellie has complete qualifications in professional children’s writing and illustration and won several awards, she is currently completing her PhD in Business (Public Value) with Swinburne University.

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                    Kellie really is a boring academic.