Cole's work in the fields of fiction, poetry, non-fiction, and academic writing has been widely published both in Australia in the UK, US, China and Vietnam.
[1] Her first published prose fiction was short story, followed by the novels Dry Dock (1999), Skin Deep (2005), then The Grave at Thu Le (2006), which examines French colonialism in Vietnam.
[2] Cole's Private Dicks and Feisty Chicks, published in 1996, explores the lure of crime fiction and its increasing popularity across international cultures.
Some of Cole's recent short stories have been published in Australian journals and anthologies and have been produced by and read on BBC Radio 4.
[3] Cole has won, been shortlisted, and/or been commended for the following awards: Cole also has judged some of Australia's leading writing prizes, including the Age Book of the Year,[10] the Barbara Jefferis Award,[11] and The National Jazz Writing Competition.