Heather McQuillan

Heather McQuillan writes for young readers, as well as short fiction and poetry. She is the director of Write On School for Young Writers in Ōtautahi, Christchurch. 

In 2005, she won the Tom Fitzgibbon Award, and three of her novels for young people have been Storylines Notable Books. 

Her most recent books are Avis and the Call of the Kraken (The Cuba Press, 2024) and Truth Needs No Colour(Cloud Ink Press, 2025).

In 2021, Heather was the University of Otago College of Education/Creative New Zealand Children’s Writer in Residence.

Short fiction awards include Radio NZ Short Story Prize 2022, National Flash Fiction Winner 2016, Best Small Fictions ( International) 2017, 2019 and 2020.

Heather has a Master of Creative Writing with distinction from Massey University, and her thesis collection of short stories was published in the UK as Where Oceans Meet ( Reflex Press, 2019).