PRESS RELEASE: Jane Harber: From Offspring Star to the New Voice of Australian YA

INTRODUCTION

MELBOURNE, VIC – For seven seasons, Australians invited her into their living rooms as the sharp-witted Zara on Offspring. Now, celebrated actress Jane Harber is taking on a new role that reaches beyond the screen, becoming the voice of a story aimed at empowering the next generation of Australian readers.
Lending her celebrated talent to a new medium, Harber joins the project as the narrator for the audiobook of Osu – the award-winning debut YA novel by Sensei Sarhn. The collaboration marks a powerful intersection of Australian talent, bringing together a household name of the screen with a story that has already received international acclaim.

The transition from visual storytelling to audio narration required a shift in craft that Harber found deeply connected to the book’s themes of resilience and belonging.

“On screen, stillness can be supported by framing or editing. In audio, stillness has to live inside you,” Harber says. “You can’t rush it. It requires a kind of internal discipline, which feels aligned with the story [of Osu] itself.”

Osu follows the journey of Olive, a 16-year-old outsider who finds her voice and strength through karate. Recently awarded Silver Winner in the Teen Category of the Wishing Shelf International Book Awards, the novel has been praised by its target audience – high school-aged readers – for its authentic portrayal of dyslexia, identity, and emotional resilience.

For publisher EmpoweringBooks.org, Harber was the natural choice to bring Olive’s world to life. Her ability to balance vulnerability with strength mirrors the “Osu” spirit – a Japanese term for perseverance and grit.

“I’ve gone from photographing people who shape our country to writing stories that shape young hearts,” says author Sensei Sarhn, who as a retired professional photographer had photographed four Australian Prime Ministers and countless national icons across sport and entertainment.“ To have an artist of Jane’s calibre inhabit Olive’s journey is the perfect alignment.”

As the Australian YA market continues to thrive, Harber’s involvement signals a new era for local audiobooks, offering listeners a deeply intimate connection to a story about finding courage when you feel different.

Osu, narrated by Jane Harber, is published by EmpoweringBooks.org and will be available 29th January across all major audiobook platforms, including Audible and Spotify, as well as via Sensei Sarhn’s website: sarhn.com.

AUTHOR BIO

Renowned and highly trusted in the 1990s and 2000s for her striking and distinctive flair as a professional photographer, Sarhn photographed four Australian Prime Ministers, immortalised numerous celebrities, and vividly captured a plethora of sporting legends through her lens.

After retiring her camera, Sarhn followed her passion for martial arts into founding a karate dojo, channelling her desire into making a profound and positive impact on the lives of her students. Imparting invaluable life skills such as strength of character, compassion, respect, self-awareness, focus, courage, determination, discipline, and confidence.

Her commitment to empowering the next generation is now vividly captured in her debut novel, Osu, where she continues her mission to inspire healthy self-image and resilience in young adults and teenagers.

AUTHOR QUOTE

“Those who achieve great feats, are not carved from a different stone,
nor are they superhuman.
They just know and do things differently.
All of which can be taught and learnt if one is open.”

BOOK INFORMATION

Title: Osu
Author: Sensei Sarhn
Audiobook Narrator: Jane Harber
Reader: Young Adults & Teenagers
Pages: 328
Audio Run Time: 7:41
Publisher: EmpoweringBooks.org
Published (audiobook): 29.1.26
Published (paperback) 24.8.24
ISBN (audiobook) 978-1-7636312-3-6
ISBN (paperback) 978-1-7636312-1-2

OSU BOOK DESCRIPTION

In the dojo, Olive discovers her empowering strength. Outside, she faces her greatest challenge.

Sixteen-year-old Olive has always been an outsider and when her family uproots her from the bustling city to sleepy Buxton, she’s sure her life is over. That is, until she stumbles upon a local karate school.

The dojo becomes Olive’s sanctuary, and her natural talent catches everyone’s eye—especially Boyan, the enigmatic son of her sensei. As Olive and Boyan’s connection deepens, she realises he’s fighting battles of his own.

But just as Olive begins to find her footing, a devastating secret threatens everything she’s built. Now, she must summon every ounce of her newfound strength to fight for her place in a world that seems determined to push her out.

Osu is a gripping, empowering coming-of-age-tale of self-acceptance, resilience, and the transformative power of finding where you belong.
In this unforgettable debut, Sensei Sarhn reminds us that the stories we tell ourselves can be our greatest enemy—or our most powerful ally.

REVIEW COPIES

Contact Sensei Sarhn to advise if you want the audiobook, eBook or paperback to review (please provide postal address, email and name).

MEDIA KIT & PHOTOGRAPHS

https://sarhn.com.au/media-kit/

WHERE TO PURCHASE OSU

https://sarhn.com/shop or in all major audiobook platforms (from the 29th Jan 2026)

* Experience the Inspirational Journey of Osu: Get Your Copy Today!

* Don’t miss out on Sensei Sarhn’s debut novel, Osu, a gripping and heartfelt story that encourages confidence, self-awareness, and resilience in young adults and teenagers.

* Purchase your copy today and join Sensei Sarhn on her mission to empower the next generation.

CONTACT DETAILS

Sensei Sarhn
0415 748 590
[email protected]
https://sarhn.com
PO Box 95 Buxton NSW 2571 Australia