Sarah Mayberry

Last updated

Sarah Mayberry
Born Melbourne, Australia
OccupationAuthor, screenwriter
Genre Romance fiction
Website
sarahmayberry.com

Sarah Mayberry is an Australian contemporary romance author and television screenwriter. She has written several novels for Harlequin Mills and Boon, as well as scripts for the television soap opera Neighbours . She was a storyliner for the New Zealand medical drama Shortland Street and co-created the teen drama series Karaoke High with Kirsty McKenzie. Mayberry and her works have been nominated for several awards, and she won the Favourite Erotic Romance accolade at the Australian Romance Readers Awards in 2015.

Contents

Early life

Mayberry was born in Melbourne. [1] She grew up in the suburb of Wantirna. [2] Mayberry knew from a young age that she wanted to be a writer and began writing stories during school. [2] She attended Victoria College, where she met her partner Christopher Gist. They both studied a Bachelor of Arts degree in Professional Writing and Literature. [1] [2] Mayberry went on to work for the parent company of Australian hardware and garden centre chain Bunnings. She also wrote for The Australian Hardware Journal and "a consumer aimed renovation magazine" for hardware store Mitre 10. [2]

Writing career

Mayberry decided to write romance novels, as that it was she liked to read herself. [3] She wrote some Regency romances, but they were rejected by Harlequin Mills and Boon and she decided to pursue a career in journalism. [3] After reading Jennifer Crusie's Anyone But You, Mayberry was inspired to write romance novels again and she made sure her characters were "human and like people I knew". Harlequin Mills and Boon published her first novel Can't Get Enough in 2006. [3] Mayberry has written over 45 romance novels. [4]

Mayberry has worked as a storyliner and scriptwriter for the Australian soap opera Neighbours since 1998. [4] [5] When the series was cancelled in 2022, Mayberry had written 230 episodes of Neighbours. [4] She later returned to the script department when the serial was picked up by Amazon Freevee. [6] Mayberry credited her time with the show with helping her to become a better romance writer. After plotting a long term romance between two characters, she realised where she had been going wrong in her own writing. [1] In 2005, Mayberry wrote three novellas based on characters from the show. [7]

Mayberry has also worked as a storyliner on Shortland Street and Home and Away . [8] She co-created the 2006 New Zealand teen drama series Karaoke High with Kirsty McKenzie. [8] They first approached TVNZ with their idea in 2003, and the network developed the show into a three-week soap opera. [8] Mayberry wrote the novelization of the television drama The Lost Children for Penguin Books. [9] In July 2022, Mayberry confirmed that she was working on a romantic comedy series to air in the United States and a thriller series for the UK. [4] She produced the feature film Line of Fire along with her partner Christopher Gist, who also wrote the script. The film was shot on the Mornington Peninsula and even filmed in the couple's house. [2] In 2024, Mayberry won the Best Script for a Television Serial accolade for Episode 8867 of Neighbours. [10]

Bibliography

Sources: [11] [12]

Harlequin Blaze novels

Neighbours novellas

Secret Lives of Daytime Divas

Harlequin Super Romance

Porter Family

Mathew Sisters

Brothers Ink

Montana Born

Carmody Brothers

Others

Recognition

YearAwardCategoryWorkResultRef(s)
2008Romance Writers of AustraliaShort CategoryIsland HeatNominated [13]
2012Australian Romance Readers AwardsFavourite Australian Romance Author—Nominated [14]
Favourite Love Scene from A Romance Published in 2012Suddenly YouNominated
Favourite Short/Category RomanceHer Best Worst MistakeNominated
Suddenly YouNominated
2012Romance Writers of AustraliaLong RomanceThe Best Laid PlansNominated [13]
2013More Than One NightNominated
2014Her Favourite RivalWon
2015Australian Romance Readers AwardsFavourite Australian Romance Author—Nominated [15]
Favourite Erotic RomanceAnticipationWon [16]
Favourite Short/Category RomanceBound to the BachelorNominated [15]
2015 Romance Writers of America Contemporary Romance: Mid-Length Her Kind of TroubleNominated [17]
2017Australian Romance Readers AwardsFavourite Continuing Romance SeriesAmerican Extreme Bull Riders Tour [lower-alpha 1] Nominated [18]
2024 AWGIE Awards Best Script for a Television SerialNeighbours Episode 8867Won [10]

Notes

  1. ↑ shared with Barbara Dunlop, Kelly Hunter, Megan Crane, Amy Andrews, Sinclair Jayne, Jeannie Watt and Katherine Garbera.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Latham, Kat (21 November 2011). "Sarah Mayberry interview – and giveaway!". katlatham.com. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Thomas, Andrea Louise (November 2022). "Peninsula darklands". Peninsula Essence. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 Brooker, Jaimee (21 November 2014). "Finding my voice: Sarah Mayberry". AusRomToday. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Hobday, Liz (26 July 2022). "Neighbours finale 'stems talent pipeline'". The Courier . Retrieved 28 July 2022.
  5. ↑ Craw, Victoria (25 August 2015). "Neighbours scriptwriter Sarah Mayberry on what goes into an episode of the soap". news.com.au . Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  6. ↑ Hibbs, James (6 March 2023). "Neighbours producer confirms return for Amazon Freevee reboot". Radio Times . Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  7. ↑ Cubby, Ben (26 September 2005). "The plot thins". The Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  8. 1 2 3 Barry Hill, Rebecca (14 December 2006). "Famous for three weeks". The New Zealand Herald . Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  9. ↑ Kooperman, Paul (2009). Screenwriting: Script to Screen. Insight Publications. p. 39. ISBN   9781921088810.
  10. 1 2 Knox, David (16 February 2024). "AWGIE Awards 2024: winners". TV Tonight . Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  11. ↑ "Complete list". sarahmayberry.com. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  12. ↑ "Sarah Mayberry Australia". Fantastic Fiction. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  13. 1 2 "Ruby Past Winners (1999–2014)". Romance Writers of Australia. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  14. ↑ "Australian Romance Readers Awards 2012". Australian Romance Readers Association. 26 May 2016. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  15. 1 2 "Australian Romance Readers Awards 2015". Australian Romance Readers Association. 22 June 2016. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  16. ↑ "Australian Romance Readers Awards 2015 winners announced". Books+Publishing . 24 March 2016. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  17. ↑ "Romance Writers of America Announces 2015 Contest Finalists". Romance Writers of America . Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  18. ↑ "Australian Romance Readers Awards 2017". Australian Romance Readers Association. 15 March 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
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