Katrina Nannestad
Katrina grew up in country New South Wales. She first thought of becoming a writer when she was ten. Her grandfather gave her his old typewriter and she thought it would be easy to write a novel. Or maybe not! It was many years before Katrina felt excited once more about writing, but when the bug bit, that was it, and she’s been writing ever since.
Her adult years have been spent raising boys, teaching, daydreaming and pursuing her passion for stories. Katrina celebrates family, friendship and belonging in her writing and loves creating stories that bring joy to other people’s lives. She lives in central Victoria with her husband, an exuberant black whippet called Olive and a cuddly magpie called Otto. Her book RABBIT, ANGEL, SOLDIER, THIEF has been nominated in this year's CBCA Book of the Year: Younger Readers Award. Her new book WAITING FOR THE STORKS is due for release November 3, 2022. Visit Katrina's Website Facebook Instagram |
Workshop: Bringing History Alive
Katrina’s historical novels, We Are Wolves and Rabbit, Soldier, Angel, Thief, focus on lesser-known aspects of the second world war. During this interactive session, Katrina will talk about the true stories that inspired each novel, and the exciting but sometimes tricky process of researching and writing. She will engage the audience in an inspiring exploration of how historical fiction can be used to stimulate and engage students into historical exploration and inquiry.
Note – This talk may be adapted to focus on one specific novel.
Topics covered
Note – This talk may be adapted to focus on one specific novel.
Topics covered
- Entertainment vs respect – the balancing act of writing historical fiction.
- Being a history detective – researching and filling in the blank spots.
- The true stories – more astonishing than fiction.
- The bits that didn’t make it into the books.
- Bringing history alive with your own words.