Queensland author Susan Mackie is setting hearts racing and taking out a national award in the process.
Based in the Southern Downs-town of Warwick, the writer has been named the 2025 RUBY Award Winner in the Romantic Elements/Women’s Fiction category at the Romantic Writers of Australia Conference, in Hobart.
“I’ve been dreaming of writing books since I was eight years old,” Mackie said.
“To be recognised at this level is such an honour and a reminder that stories written in small country towns can resonate far beyond our own backyard.”
She said her best-known work was the Barrington Series, a series which was a love letter to the community, “brimming with the quirks, dramas, and joys of small-town life”.
“For readers who have lived in regional communities, the stories feel like home. For those in the city, the Barrington books offer the chance to step into a world where neighbours know your name, friendships run deep, and life’s challenges are shared.”
