Writing about what she lives and breathes is a passion for CQUniversity alumnus Nicole Alexander.

Nicole is a graduate of CQUniversity's Master of Letters program and a renowned Australian author who was recently awarded New South Wales State Honours for her contribution to rural fiction.

Rural fiction author and CQUniversity alumnus Nicole Alexander

Nicole was nominated for the 2012 New South Wales Women of the Year Awards, successfully taking out the Barwon Woman of the Year - Barwon is New South Wales second largest electorate.

Nicole says she was surprised to receive such an award for what is her passion.

"The award was presented to me by the Minister for Western New South Wales, the Honourable Kevin Humphries MP in his offices in Moree" she says.

"I have to say that I was very surprised and also extremely honoured. The promotion of rural Australia and literacy and reading in the bush is something I'm very passionate about."

Nicole's connection to the bush is extremely important to her. Her family first settled in northern New South Wales in the 1880s, and the property that she currently lives on has been in her family since 1883.

"It's an incredible feeling to be involved in a business where your ancestors have lived and worked before you, knowing you're one of the current custodians of that same property" she says.

Nicole reflects fondly on her studies with the University, as it was while she was studying that she got the motivation to complete her first novel, The Bark Cutters.

I did the course by distance education but thought the access to library books was fantastic. We only got mail twice a week but my professors were really helpful. Doing that course by distance developed by ability to really focus and discipline myself. I think it was a big help in getting The Bark Cutters published!" she says.

Nicole has been writing for over twenty years in the genres of poetry, short stories and genealogy, and is currently contracted to Random House Australia as a rural fiction writer.