2026 Programme & Speakers
A celebration of local voices, regional stories, and the readers who bring them to life.
11:00am-4:30pm Sunday 13 September 2026
Whitsunday Marine Club, 7 Altmann Avenue, Cannonvale
10:30am
Registration and refreshments.
11:00am: SESSION 1
Welcome from the Festival President, Richard Evans.
11:15am
Panel Discussion: Is there a book in you?
Discover what it really takes to go from idea to published book. Our panel shares insights, inspiration, and practical tips for turning your story into reality.
A. L. Tippett
Urban Fantasy & Children's
Born in New Zealand and raised in Australia, A. L. Tippett has now made her home in tropical North Queensland. Her passions, outside of living in her fantasy worlds, are reading, horse riding, and singing. Tippett started her first novel when she was twelve but abandoned it after deciding that being an author wasn’t a “real” job and therefore not worth pursuing. After seven years as an insurance broker, followed by the birth of her two beautiful children, she rediscovered her passion for writing. She loves that she now gets to live out her childhood dream of being an author.
Greg Bourke
Thrillers
Greg's career has focused on writing and expression, first as an English teacher in Far North Queensland, and later within corporate communications. Over many years, he helped many families with their stories and memoirs. Greg was inspired to write his debut novel based on his experiences when he was posted north to his first teaching post in the 1980s. 'Under Silkwood', released in late 2025 by Hawkeye Publishing, was shortlisted for the Queensland Writers' Centre 2024 'Adaptable' program and an excerpt long-listed in the 2024 Sydney Hammond Memorial Short Story Award. Greg’s novel has been widely and positively critiqued on ABC Radio and within numerous online book reviews.
Rachael Smith
Memoir
Rachael Smith is Editor-in-Chief of Life Publishing Group, leading a team of 20 creatives producing regional newspapers and magazines, including Mackay and Whitsunday Life. She is passionate about championing positive news and strengthening community connection. At 37, Rachael was diagnosed with stage 3 bowel cancer. With a young son at home, she underwent six months of chemotherapy while continuing to work and care for her family. The experience reshaped her perspective, deepening her resilience and sense of purpose. She has now published her first book, 'Surviving Cancer: A Working Mum’s Guide', offering insight and hope to others.
12:00pm
Lunch and informal readings from featured authors.
12:45pm: SESSION 2
Whitsunday Literary Heart Awards
Announcements of the 2026 Whitsundays Literary Heart Awards winners and runners up, with interviews and short readings of the Short Story Award (Open Age and under 18 divisions) and Poetry Prize.
1:15pm
From the Heart Keynote
Rachel Armstrong
Rural, Paranormal & Contemporary Romance
Rachel Armstrong is a multiple award-winning author, recognised with two Romantic Book of the Year Awards from Romance Writers of Australia and named Favourite Australian Debut Romance Author by the Australian Romance Readers Association. She has always loved making up stories and is now living her dream of being an author. She writes romantic fiction about rural small towns, stirs up the suspense with terrifying villains, and places paranormal shifters in our every day world. Rachel lives in Townsville, Queensland, with her border collie, Jacob, where she helps people live their best lives as an exercise physiologist.
From the Heart is the Festival’s cornerstone event — an annual oration exploring culture, identity, and the role of the writer in Australia. Each year, a leading Australian literary voice is invited to deliver a powerful keynote on the place of storytelling in our national life, setting the tone for the Festival and contributing to the broader literary year.
Our inaugural speaker, Shankari Chandran, spoke to the vital role of writing in shaping culture and community. In 2025, Dr Anita Heiss offered a compelling reflection informed by her First Nations and European heritage.
In 2026, we are honoured to welcome Rachel Armstrong as our keynote speaker, in recognition of her sustained excellence and significant contribution to contemporary Australian romance writing. A multi-award-winning and internationally recognised author, she has been consistently honoured across major industry awards, including the Romantic Book of the Year Awards and the Koru Awards, establishing her as a leading voice in her genre.
From the Heart provides a national platform for authors to share the ideas that shape our stories — and our times.
1:45pm
Quick Break
2:00pm: SESSION 3
Panel Discussion: Where Do You Get Your Story Ideas From?
A lively discussion where writers reveal the surprising, strange, and everyday places they find inspiration.
Krissy Regan
Adult Personal Development & Children's
After a few decades of travelling the world and delivering exciting projects for her clients, Krissy decided to embark on her own exciting project and wrote and published her first book in 2020, followed quickly by five more books. Sharing stories is her passion and Krissy loves creating meaningful morals-based content for every day life. What an amazing side-hustle this has become for both her and her two children. She loves writing for adults and children and has been a regular contributor to Kiddipedia and other family print and online publications.
Gary Wood
Adventure Memoir
Gary Wood is an award-winning Australian author, travel writer, and motorcycle adventurer. Through his books 'Gun Fights, Ghosts and Goannas' and' Red Dust and Rainforests', and his website Digital Swaggie, he captures life beyond the highway — travelling the back roads of outback Queensland and regional Australia. His work explores small towns, remote communities, and the people and landscapes that continue to define the country. Blending storytelling, history, and humour, Gary documents places often overlooked, with a deep respect for local knowledge and everyday skills. His writing is driven by a simple belief: adventure is about attention, not distance.
Veronica Lando
Crime
Veronica grew up above her parents’ Melbourne bookshop, surrounded by stories, which made writing her own feel inevitable. After a career change following the birth of her first child, she returned to writing and trained extensively through the Australian Writers’ Centre, developing her craft over several years. Now based in North Queensland, she draws inspiration from the region’s wild and often dangerous landscapes. Her debut novel 'The Whispering' won the 2021 Banjo Prize for Fiction and was shortlisted for the Queensland Literary Awards Courier-Mail People’s Choice Book of the Year, leading to a publishing deal and two further book contracts.
Featured regional authors:
A.L. Tippett, urban fantasy and childrens
Bec Russell, personal development
Bernd Braeuer, professional and personal development
Deeanna West, fantasy and sci-fi
Gary Wood, adventure memoir
Glynda Parfitt, memoir
Greg Bourke, thrillers
Jo Nightingale, memoir
Keith Whalley, historical fiction and young adult
Krissy Regan, personal development, poetry, and childrens
Lorie Brink, fiction
Mark Rasmussen, fiction and adventure
Mark Strobel, memoir
Mia Bates, natural history
Phia Damsma, childrens
Rachael Smith, memoir
Rachel Armstrong, romance
Richard Evans, crime thrillers
Rick Brown, professional development and fiction
Suzy Gordon, poetry
Tim Roy, memoir
Veronica Lando, crime
and
Whitsunday Regional Council library
Lose yourself among stories at Stories by the Sea — a relaxed, free community celebration of books, creativity, and connection.
Browse and buy from featured regional authors, or bring along up to two well-loved books (in good condition) to swap and send on a new adventure. Children can enjoy a special storytime and book swap, creating space for young readers to discover stories of their own.
Meet local writing groups and book clubs, enjoy informal readings from featured authors, and soak up the atmosphere with the occasional live music performances woven throughout the afternoon.
Refuel with a gold coin BBQ, along with tea, coffee, and a cash bar with refreshments, and settle in for a relaxed close to the festival, featuring a preview of the 2027 program, and prize giveaways.
A perfect way to connect, discover, and celebrate stories by the sea.
