Elizabeth ‘Biffy’ James has been an avid fan of Young Adult fiction ever since she picked up her first ‘Sweet Valley High’ book at the local second-hand bookshop. Now, over twenty years later, she has come to terms with the fact that if she hasn’t grown out of reading about teenagers experiencing the ups and downs of adolescence by now, she probably never will.Biffy holds a Masters degree in Creative Writing from RMIT and her past experience working as a house mother at a local boarding schoo...

Katrina Nannestad is an award-winning Australian author. Her books include the CBCA-shortlisted We Are Wolves, The Girl Who Brought Mischief, the Travelling Bookshop series, the Girl, the Dog and the Writer series, the Olive of Groves series, the Red Dirt Diaries series, the Lottie Perkins series, and the historical novels Rabbit, Soldier, Angel, Thief, Waiting for the Storks, and her latest book, Silver Linings.Katrina grew up in country New South Wales in a neighbourhood stuffed full of hap...

Fiona Lloyd was born in the beautiful North-East of England near picturesque countryside, windswept beaches and the vibrant cultural city of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. She dreamed of writing in a cosy country cottage and of life as a theatre actress but, as it often does, life got in the way.Working and travelling instead, Fiona floated in the Dead Sea, climbed the Sydney Harbour bridge, gave guided tours in Holland and fell in love with all things Greek during her two years in Athens and Skiathos....

Rory H. Mather is an extroverted rhyme loving picture book author…with a beard. For ten years he worked in public libraries and for three of those years he delivered kidlit programs such as Story Time and Baby Rhyme Time. He has a passion for funny picture books and reading and shares his passion with anyone who will listen. He also loves puns so watch out! His latest book, My Little Star, is out now.Follow along!Zanni's website Zanni's instagramThe Sunshine House Writers and Creatives FB Gro...

Rebecca Stead is a bestselling author of seven novels for young people: When You Reach Me, Liar & Spy, First Light, Goodbye Stranger, Bob (with Wendy Mass), The Lost Library (ditto) and The List of Things That Will Not Change.Her books have been awarded the Newbery Medal, the Boston Globe/Horn Book Fiction Award and Fiction Honor, and the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize; shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal, Waterstone’s Book Prize, Barnes & Noble Children’s Book Award, and Premio Str...

Sara Shepard is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Pretty Little Liars series, The Lying Game series, The Heiresses, The Elizas, The Perfectionists series, and Reputation. She is also the author of the Penny Draws series for middle grade readers.She graduated from NYU and has an MFA from Brooklyn College. She has lived in New York City, Brooklyn, Tucson, Arizona, Philadelphia, and now lives in Pittsburgh, PA. Follow along!Zanni's website Zanni's instagramThe Sunshine House W...

Eva Amores is an author and designer/photographer who has worked for the Sydney Opera House and the ABC. She was born in The Philippines and moved to Australia in high school. She likes shoes, travelling and more shoes.Matt Cosgrove is the best-selling author/illustrator of Macca the Alpaca and the Epic Fail Tales series. He was born and raised in Western Sydney. He likes chocolate, avoiding social interactions and more chocolate.Eva and Matt met when they were randomly placed together for a ...

Megan Daley is passionate about children’s literature and is the author of the bestselling book 'Raising Readers', published by UQP and the upcoming title 'The Beehive', to be published by Walker Books. She is the editor of Teacher, Teacher: an Anthology about Inspirational Educators.She is a Teacher Librarian in Brisbane and has been awarded the Queensland Teacher Librarian of the Year, as well as the national Dromkeen Librarian’s Award. A former national vice-president of the Children’...

Apsara Baldovino spent most of her career in magazine publishing - working for marie claire, Girlfriend and David Jones magazines in advertising sales before taking the leap into the start-up world. By day, she is the Senior Brand Partnerships Manager for Australia’s newest gifting tech unicorn, and by night, Apsara writes stories for children who dream of owning a real unicorn!Most of her writing career has been spent putting together very serious sales pitches for very serious clients, so w...

Anna Fienberg is the author of many popular and award-winning books for children of all ages. Her well-loved Tashi book series, illustrated by Kim Gamble, have inspired an animated series for television. Anna began writing stories when she was only eight years old. She says, 'I've always had a passion for words. I used to collect them, like some people collect stamps. Certain words gave me a special, billionaire feeling, and when uttered, seemed to have a magical effect.' She also g...