Pamela Freeman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pamela Freeman
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Freeman in 2007
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| Born | April 1960 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Genre | Fantasy, children's literature |
Pamela Freeman is an Australian author. She writes books for both kids and adults. Most of her stories are fantasy. But she also writes mysteries, science fiction, and family dramas. She even writes non-fiction books. Her first adult series is called the Castings Trilogy. It includes Blood Ties, Deep Water, and Full Circle. These books are sold all over the world. In Australia, she is well-known for her junior novel Victor’s Quest. She also wrote a series of Floramonde books. Another famous book is The Black Dress: Mary MacKillop’s Early Years. It won a big history prize in 2006.
Contents
Pamela Freeman's Life and Career
Growing Up and Early Jobs
Pamela Freeman was born in Sydney, Australia in April 1960. She grew up near Parramatta. From 1978 to 1980, she studied at the University of Technology, Sydney. She earned a degree in Communications. This included learning about film, television, and psychology.
After university, she worked in public relations. This involved talking to the public for companies. Later, she moved to London. There, she had many different jobs. One job was helping with scenery for the BBC.
In 1984, she came back to Australia. She became a scriptwriter for the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney. Then, in 1987, she joined ABC TV. She worked in their Children's and Education Department. She researched and wrote scripts for many shows. She first wrote stories for kids for a series called Watch! Your Language. Her first children's stories were printed in the NSW School Magazine. One of these stories became the last chapter of her first book, The Willow Tree’s Daughter.
Becoming a Full-Time Writer
After leaving the ABC in 1989, Pamela became a consultant. She helped companies with their communication. She also designed and taught educational programs. In 1996, she earned a Master's degree in writing. She also studied how to prevent bad behavior in law enforcement. She even traveled to North America in 1998 to learn more about this.
After her son was born in 2001, Pamela focused on writing. She also completed a doctorate degree in creative arts. Her main project for this was her first adult book, Blood Ties. This book became the first in her Castings Trilogy.
Popular Books for Young Readers
Pamela Freeman has written many popular books for young people. Victor's Challenge is a sequel to Victor's Quest. It won an Aurealis Award in 2009. It was also a "Notable Book" in the Children's Book Council of Australia Awards in 2010.
She rewrote stories from her first book, The Willow Tree's Daughter. These new versions were for much younger children. They became the Princess Betony series. This series includes Princess Betony and the Unicorn (2012), Princess Betony and the Thunder Egg (2013), and Princess Betony and the Rule of Wishing (2013).
In 2015, her non-fiction book Mary's Australia was recognized. It is about Australia during the time of Saint Mary Mackillop. This book was shortlisted for an award by the Children's Book Council of Australia.
Collaborations and Other Works
In 2017, Pamela worked with illustrator Liz Anelli. They created Desert Lake: The story of Kati-Thanda-Lake Eyre. This book was very successful. It won the ASO Librarian's Choice Award. It was also highly praised in the Australian Publishing Industry Awards. They continue to work together on books about amazing Australian landscapes. Their next book was Dry to Dry: The story of Kakadu.
Pamela also writes historical novels for adults. She uses the pen name Pamela Hart. (Hart is her husband's last name.) In 2015, she published The Soldier's Wife. This book is based on her family's stories from World War I. It tells about a young woman in Sydney while her husband is fighting. A companion novel, The War Bride, came out in 2017. It is set in Sydney after the war. A Letter from Italy (2017) is set in Italy during 1917. It features a woman war correspondent. This story is based on the real-life Australian journalist, Louise Mack. The Desert Nurse (2018) tells about World War I in the Middle East. It follows a nurse and doctor who volunteer there. Pamela Hart's books are published by Hachette Australia.
Pamela Freeman is also the Director of Creative Writing at the Australian Writer's Centre. She lives in Sydney with her husband and son.
Awards and Recognitions
Pamela Freeman has won many awards for her books:
- 1994 — The Willow Tree's Daughter: Shortlisted for the NSW State Literary Awards
- 1997 — Victor's Quest: Shortlisted for Children's Book Council Book of the Year for Younger Readers
- 2001 — Pole to Pole: Shortlisted for the Children's Books Council Book of the Year Eve Pownall Award
- 2004 — Scum of the Earth: Won the Wilderness Society Environment Award for Children's Literature
- 2006 — The Black Dress: NSW Premier's History Prize
- 2011 — Ember and Ash: Won the Aurealis Award for best fantasy novel
- 2015 — Mary's Australia: Shortlisted for the Children's Books Council Book of the Year Eve Pownall Award
- 2017 — The War Bride: Shortlisted for Romantic Novel of the Year (UK) and Romantic Book of the Year (Australia)
- 2017 — Desert Lake: The Story of Kati-Thanda-Lake Eyre (Illustrated by Liz Anelli): Won the ASO Librarian's Choice Award. It was also highly commended in the Australian Publishing Industry Awards and shortlisted for four other awards.
- 2021 — Dry to Dry: The Seasons of Kakadu: Shortlisted for the Children's Books Council Book of the Year Eve Pownall Award
