Author services.

I am currently not open to manuscript assessments, query letter assessments or picture book editing, but I am open to the below:

Authenticity/Sensitivity Reading

Unsure whether a character, scene or topic is reading as authentic, as not to disrupt the immersive experience of your Middle Grade or Young Adult novel? I am here to assist with that! My genuine, lived experiences can help with:

• Chinese-Australian migrant characters and the migrant experience

• Australian characters of mixed Chinese heritage, like my own son

• The Chinese diaspora in Australia and how it feels to be part of a minority

• Chinese ethnic groups (I am a Penang Hokkien speaking Hokkien/Hoklo person) within the Chinese population

• Growing up queer and LGBTQIA+ (and at the intersect of sexual and racial identity) as a child and teenager (or navigating life as an adult, if you have an adult character)

• Growing up a product of inherited and individual migration trauma and livelong anxiety issues

• The Christmas Island experience, my unusual childhood growing up there and living in segregation.

• Characters navigating individual and shared journeys around characters with Autism Spectrum Disorders. My son is an ASD child (and the best person in the world)

• Family separation, divorce and blended family situations

I am available to read certain passages or your entire manuscript. Unsure what I should read to get the best outcome? Contact me for a chat at shirleyonmarrs@gmail.com.