Ella (Karen Trebilcock) West

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

West, Ella (1967- ) writes novels for young adults under a pseudonym; her real name is Karen Trebilcock.

Her first book, Thieves (Longacre Press, 2006), is a thriller that revolves around Nicky, a girl who is taken by a sinister group called The Project. Thieves was a finalist in the 2007 New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, and was listed as a 2007 Storylines Notable Young Adult Fiction Book. Reviewing Thieves for Magpies, Trevor Agnew called it ‘the best teenage science fiction novel I have read this century', while in the Otago Daily Times, award-winning young adult writer Tania Roxborough declared it an ‘action-packed adventure' which she ‘couldn't put down'.

West was awarded the Louis Johnson New Writers’ Bursary in 2006.

Anywhere but Here (2008) is the sequel to Thieves. The novel was a finalist in the SFFANZ (Science Fiction and Fantasy Association of New Zealand) Sir Julius Vogel Awards 2009. The third book in the series, Real Life (2009), was intended to be the final book in the trilogy, however, following requests from readers, West is writing a fourth book called Finder Seeker. Chapters of the book can be found on her blog.

In 2014, West's novel Night Vision (Allen and Unwin) was released. The book, which follows the dark story of a girl who witnesses a murder on a Canterbury sheep farm, won the Young Adult Fiction Award at the 2015 LIANZA Children's Book Awards, and also won the YA Children's Choice Award at the 2015 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.

West self-published another young adult novel, The Sound of My Heart, in 2023.

WRITERS IN SCHOOLS INFORMATION

Ella participates in the Writers in Schools programme, and is prepared to speak to school children of any age. She will speak to classes of any size regarding topics like writing and the creative process, and is happy to run workshops by prior arrangement, as well as lead Professional Development sessions for teachers.