Linda Funnell has worked as a publisher and editor for more than three decades and taught courses in publishing, editing and writing for UTS, the ASA, Writing NSW and the University of Sydney. Over the course of her career Linda has worked with historical novelists including Colleen McCullough, Belinda Alexandra, Steven Carroll, Karen Brooks, Robbi Neal, Diane Armstrong and Geraldine Brooks. 

In 2020 she was chair of the judging panel for the inaugural ARA Historical Novel Prize. Linda currently works as a freelance editor and consultant, and runs the free online book review the Newtown Review of Books.

If you could have dinner with any historical figure, who would it be and why?

Australian author Kylie Tennant (1912-1988). Tennant was not only a prolific author of novels and non-fiction but worked in publishing in the 1960s - it would be fascinating to compare how publishing has changed - or not - in that time.