Novelist

"I took one course with Paula Morris in 2015 and that was it — I knew I wanted to do my Master of Creative Writing here at the University of Auckland. I hadn't even been aware the degree existed.

"Since I was a child, I'd held a vague fantasy of one day writing a novel. But that was all I saw it as: a fantasy. Yet in 2016, it was exactly what I did.

"Paula recognises the kind of book you're trying to write, and she helps you get there. My class had a diverse array of works-in-progress: from YA to poetry, memoir to post-apocalyptic fiction.

"I loved the workshop format. We'd get instalments from two people's books each week. Reading what my peers were writing was one of my favourite tasks — topped only by coming to class to discuss it. There's something incredible about being in a room with eleven other people who share your passion, and the feedback was invaluable.

"I also tutored an undergraduate course while I was completing my masters; a role I continue in today. Teaching has become a whole new passion for me.

"In 2018, I was the inaugural winner of the Michael Gifkins Prize, open to all New Zealand writers, published or unpublished. The reward was a publishing deal with Text in Melbourne, and a $10,000 advance.

"My debut novel Attraction was published in 2019, and is now distributed throughout Aotearoa and Australia. I have the University of Auckland and Paula Morris to thank for this. She turned my fantasy of writing a novel into a reality.

"I'm about to embark on my PhD with Creative Practice to write my second novel. There's no other university — or supervisor — I'd consider."