Kellie Byrnes is a children’s author and full-time freelance writer based on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia who loves to travel for author talks and workshops and other events. Kellie’s first picture book, Cloud Conductor, released through Wombat Books in May 2018, and her second, Evie is all Ears, was published in October 2020 by Little Pink Dog Books.

One Remarkable Reef, published by the State Library of Queensland, came out in November 2020 and went on to be shortlisted in the Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Awards in 2021. In May 2021, Yes! No. picture book was released by Little Pink Dog Books, followed soon after by This is NOT a Book! in June 2021, published by EK Books (Exisle Publishing).

Kellie’s sixth picture book, which came out in January 2022, is titled How Do We Love?: The Five Ways We Show We Care. It was published by Macmillan USA.

Plus, Kellie wrote 20 early readers for an educational publisher in China in 2022 and edited and proofread a series of 52 early readers for the same company in 2023. Kellie also wrote a picture book for a public library in the USA and a picture book for a Muslim school in Australia in 2023. In addition, she has a junior fiction novel contracted.

Kellie’s book Cloud Conductor, via interviews, reviews, and articles, has been featured in The Sunday Telegraph, Sunshine Coast Daily, My Weekly Preview, Noosa News, Buderim Chronicle, Kids Book Review, Kids on the Coast, Brisbane Kids, Boomerang Books, She Society, Reading Time, Buzz Words, Pass It On and many more. Kellie and her various books have also been featured in other publications, podcasts, videos, etc.

Kellie is a children’s presenter, too. She conducts storytimes, author talks and workshops on the Sunshine Coast, in Brisbane, and further afield, at early learning centres, schools, libraries, and literary festivals, among other places. She has presented at the Brisbane Writers’ Festival, Voices on the Coast, and other events.

Kellie is a member of SCBWI, the Queensland Writer's Centre, and 12x12, and has attended numerous conferences, workshops, webinars, and talks in recent years. This list includes KidLitVic 2017 & 2018, CYA 2016 to 2021, SCBWI Sydney 2016, Hay Festival (UK) 2015, and numerous Brisbane Write Links sessions.

Kellie has also been a children’s book reviewer (check out her blog for some links), and a member of various online and in-person critique groups. 

Kellie has a BA degree with a double major in Philosophy and Literature from Macquarie University and over 10 years of experience copywriting - click this link for more details on her writer-for-hire services. In addition, Kellie has spent time in marketing, PR, sales, e-commerce, bookshop, and publishing roles during her career.

Kellie previously worked as a publishing assistant for Pan Macmillan, and then as a sales rep for Pan and later Hardie Grant Gift (Taltrade Books at the time). During these years, apart from getting to read a huge number of books (yay!), she also developed an understanding of the publishing industry and what it takes to make it as an author and writer - experience which is standing her in good stead as an author.

In addition to this experience, Kellie created an eco-luxe gift store, which she sold after five years. Kellie achieved numerous first-page Google rankings for relevant, popular search terms for the business, in addition to receiving over 150 different press mentions for the business and its products.

The online store featured in key magazines and newspapers including Elle Australia, InStyle Australia, Sydney Morning Herald, AFR, Marie Claire, Belle, Real Living, Woman's Day, Women's Weekly, Harper's Bazaar Australia, House & Garden, Women's Fitness, Australian Gourmet Traveller, Madison, Shop Til You Drop, My Business, Dynamic Business, G Magazine, Nature & Health, Lifestyle.com.au and more.

Earlier in her career, Kellie also worked in marketing and PR for the Canadian Tourism Commission's Australian office. As part of her role, she coordinated media visits for journalists to Canada (including the television show Getaway), coordinated events such as roadshows and the office's participation at travel expos, and otherwise lifted the profile of Canada as a travel destination for Australians.