Eileen Magee
Eileen Magee is rather devoted to tea and chocolate—and her dogs.
More inclined to be outside than in, poses somewhat of a contradiction to her persistent inclination to write. It does however, provide enormous inspiration.
She lives on a three acre property with her partner and dogs, is a saviour of bugs in the house—and in the woodpile, of delirious bees, and any beleaguered beings she comes across, which on occasion extends to the human ones. It’s not surprising then, that Eileen delights and writes in a similar world to Beatrix Potter (Peter Rabbit), Kenneth Grahame (The Wind in the Willows), Jill Barklem (Brambly Hedge) and May Gibbs (Snugglepot and Cuddlepie). A world as obvious in her imaginings as it is outside her front (or back) door.
Eileen writes every week day—alas and albeit in a business format in her day job. Her own writing time is squeezed between all those other bits of life, and frequently interrupted by cups of tea and squares of Lindt chocolate, chats to the dogs, danders in the garden (tea in hand), and—looking for her glasses.
While more often than not, the cat had the young Eileen’s tongue, but she made sure he never found her pen—for in there, she discovered her voice. She’s been studying and honing her writing style these many long years since.
A dab hand in versatility, Eileen managed to eke out a little more from her time to join the Creative Kids Tales (CKT) team (October, 2015) as the On-line Assistant. CKT is an industry-recognised website (www.creativekidstales.com.au) for emerging Australian children’s authors and illustrators, providing the necessary tools to assist them, whether they’re just embarking on, or continuing, their journey to publication. This role has helped her sit a little longer in her chair and focus on writing—if not her own, then for CKT.
Eileen writes mostly for middle-graders but has tried her hand at rhyming text, possibly for picture books. She has self-published two private collections from her Tall Tales of Little Me work, and aside from writing stories for children, she writes poetry.
Eileen is a member of the SA Writers Centre, SCBWI (Society for Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators), ASA (Australian Society of Authors), and the CKT Critique Workshop Group.
Read CKT's November 2016 interview with Eileen Magee
Eileen Magee - Submissions
- Hickory Hill (excerpt) by Eileen Magee Oct - 2015