Celebrating Margot McGovern’s Rising Success!

We’re thrilled to share exciting news about one of our Once Upon a Festival presenters, Margot McGovern—and there’s plenty to celebrate!

Margot’s gripping YA horror novel This Stays Between Us has recently been recognised with a series of impressive accolades, including:

• winning the inaugural John Marsden Prize for Writing for Young Adults in the 2026 Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards
• being shortlisted for the 2026 CBCA Book of the Year Awards for Older Readers
• and… being shortlisted for Best Horror Novel and Best YA Novel in the 2026 Aurealis Awards, Best Young Adult Novel in the 2026 Thriller Awards and Best Novel in the AHWA Shadows Awards!

For teachers and students who haven’t yet discovered This Stays Between Us, now is the perfect time to add it to your reading list or classroom discussions. The novel offers rich themes to explore, from trust and identity to the ethical dilemmas faced by young people—making it both entertaining and thought-provoking.

And there’s even more to look forward to. Margot’s highly anticipated new novel, Our Dark Unravelling, is set for release in September 2026. We can’t wait to see how this next book continues to build on Margot’s growing success.

Margot McGovern will be joining us at the Festival, delivering her Talk: Why Horror? – Stories for Uncertain Times. This is a fantastic opportunity for students to explore what gives this dark genre mass appeal, why its popularity surges in times of uncertainty and how horror narratives create safe spaces to explore fears and anxieties that are otherwise challenging to confront.

Margot will also be presenting two interactive horror-themed workshops at the Festival – they are sure to be popular!

Stay tuned for more updates—and be sure not to miss the chance to hear from Margot in person during Once Upon a Festival!