Candice Fox received over 200 rejection letters in the first decade of her crime writing career.
Today the 30-year-old author is living a dream by writing a "brutal, action-packed" crime novel with American best-seller James Patterson. 
Ms Fox - who started reading Mr Patterson's books at an "inappropriately young age" - introduced herself to the author at a cocktail party in   June.
"There was a nervousness and excitement in the room," she said.
"Everyone was taking their turns talking to him, and I just thought 'this is my chance.'"
A few days later the University of the Sunshine Coast graduate received a call from her publisher asking if she would be interested in a collaboration with the prolific author.
"I didn't mention collaborating or anything when I spoke to him, I just wanted to have that fan moment," she said.
After emailing back and forth the novel Never Never was completed in just a few months.
Australian Crime Writers Association (ACWA) member Karen Chisholm said the collaboration should be "fascinating".
"[Fox's] books are quite unusual for an Australian female author in that they're quite dark and quite confrontational," she said.
Ms Fox grew up in a large eccentric household in Sydney full of fostered and adopted siblings, and started writing from a young age.
"I would write myself into a little world I could control," she said.
Her latest novel Fall was released earlier this month, a sequel to her award-winning novels Hades and Eden. 
The collaboration with Patterson Never Never is set in a FIFO mining camp in Western Australia and stars "fire-cracker" detective Harriet Blue.
"Readers are going to see my quirky sense of humour in this book," said Ms Fox.
According to Ms Chisholm the demand for Australian crime authors has been steadily increasing.
"[Australian Authors] have a slightly tongue-in-cheek sense of humour and are a little more interested in human motivations," she said.
"There are so many strong elements [in Fox's work] ??? she's a stand out."
Ms Fox teaches writing courses at the Australian Writers Centre and the University of Notre Dame, and said she often gets students who are worried about getting published.
"I tell them 'just wait until you've submitted a few manuscripts before you get bitter!'"
Never Never is scheduled for Australian release in   August 2016.
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