Joanne Morrell

Summary

Joanne (Zara Ellen) Morrell holds a Bachelor of Arts in Writing and is passionate about helping aspiring authors navigate their journey to success. Under her pseudonym Zara Ellen, she writes uplifting, fast-paced contemporary women’s fiction, while seeking traditional representation for her children’s and young adult fiction books under the pen name JzeMorrell. Joanne also hosts and produces The HYBRID Author Podcast, a three-yearly run, weekly show where she interviews industry professionals exploring all facets of building a successful hybrid author career. The podcast and has been listened to in over 41 countries and has surpassed 140 episodes.

Biography

Joanne (Zara Ellen) Morrell was born in Perth, Western Australia, but spent her childhood in a charming fishing village on the east coast of Edinburgh, Scotland. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Writing from Edith Cowan University, with minors in Editing and Publishing, alongside a Certificate in Creative Writing from Open Universities and a Diploma of Freelance Journalism from The Morris Journalism Academy. With over six years of experience in commercial technical scriptwriting and freelance writing, Joanne has successfully run her own business and contributed her expertise to a media company.

Relevant qualifications

Bachelor of Arts Majoring in Writing, Minoring in Scriptwriting, Editing and Publishing
Certificate of Creative Writing, Open Universities
Diploma of Freelance Journalism, The Morris Journalism Academy
Interned at 'Westerly' Magazine
Volunteer Newsletter Editor, The Children's Book Council of Australia (CBCA WA branch)
Volunteer Social Media Coordinator and Newsletter Editor, The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWIWest)
Technical Scriptwriter, 4 years, Cell-media Subiaco
Freelance Writer, 2 years
Talus Prize Short Story Award Winner
Longlisted Picture Book in the Larrikin House Picture Book and Graphic novel competition
Independently published 4 books (children's, non-fiction and women's fiction titles) using various publishers and industry professionals within Australia and overseas

Recent experience

In Conversation with Sasha Wasley for the launch of Zara Ellen's debut contemporary women's fiction novel 'The Writer, The Hairdresser and The Nurse'
Guest on WritingWA's Podcast PodStreet, interviewed by Will Yeoman
Conducted an Author Talk on 'Discovering Roadblocks in Writing' at the 2024 Australind Libraries Literacy Festival
Guest on the 'Totally Lit' Podcast, interviewed by host and picture book author Ky Garvey
Conducting Author Talk 'Discovering Roadblocks in Writing' in the Blue Room at Amherst Village Library
Conducting Author Talk 'On getting Published' at Lesser Hall in Mills Park Library
Written interview sharing personal anecdotes and short life lessons on writing for WorldClass Performer
Continuous interviewing of industry professionals for The HYBRID Author Podcast