About Me
I live in the historic town of Castlemaine, on Dja Dja Wurrung country in the heart of Central Victoria, Australia. Originally from Western Australia, where I often return, I grew up in the Perth Hills where I attended Eastern Hills Senior High School and Curtin University in the 1980s.
To my great joy, my work has travelled widely. My first novel, Den of Wolves, set in Ancient Rome, was published in Australia and New Zealand in 2008, before being translated into various international editions. Its sequel, Nest of Vipers, was released in 2010, with non-English language editions following in 2011.
The Secret Heiress, a mystery set in Colonial Australia, was published in Australia and New Zealand in 2016, with a second edition released in 2017. A Russian edition was published in September of that year, followed by an audiobook through Bolinda.
My most recent novel, The Heart of the Ritz, appeared on Australian and New Zealand shelves in 2019. Set in Nazi-occupied Paris, when women and teenagers formed the backbone of the French Resistance, it was also released as an audiobook through Bolinda.
Before writing novels, I wrote for television. For most of the noughties I held key creative roles on the long-running Australian drama series Neighbours. As Script Producer, I oversaw 1,500 episode scripts for the internationally broadcast serial, working with a passionate team creating much loved characters and long-running storylines. It's where I learned so much about writing addictive stories. I represented Neighbours at the UK National Television Awards and spoke about its ongoing success at industry conferences in Europe. I also appeared in a series of behind-the-scenes programs about the show made for BBC 3.
Before joining Neighbours, I was Assistant Commissioning Editor for Drama with ABC TV. There, I was Script Executive on Something in the Air, and worked in the writing and development of SeaChange, RAW FM, and other prime-time television series. I have also written for Home & Away and was Script Editor on the teen fantasy series Nowhere Boys.
I am also a playwright. I have a history of collaborations with wonderful theatre practitioners. My first plays were staged by Kickhouse Theatre for the Melbourne Fringe Festival. St Rose of Lima was nominated for a Green Room Award for Best New Australian Play. Fun & Games with the Oresteia won the ABC Radio National Pick of the Fringe Award.
Other productions of my original or co-written works were produced by the Melbourne International Festival, Playbox Theatre, the Adelaide Festival, the Sydney Festival, St Martins Youth Arts Centre, WAAPA and NIDA. In 2010, I co-adapted (with Louise Fox) Dario Fo’s Elizabeth: Almost by Chance a Woman for Melbourne’s Malthouse Theatre. This adaptation was also staged by the Queensland Theatre Company in 2012.
I was a student at Curtin University’s creative writing stream in the mid-80s, studying fiction under renowned novelists Elizabeth Jolley and Tim Winton. In 2008 I appeared in an ABC TV documentary, IOU Elizabeth Jolley, where I spoke about my creative debt to the late author. I am now a lecturer myself, having taught creative writing subjects for AFTRS, RMIT, Monash University, and NIDA. Since 2013, I have taught screenwriting at the University of Melbourne's Victorian College of the Arts. In 2017, I was a recipient of the Australian Federal Government's University Teaching Award.
I recently completed a PhD in contemporary gay-authored historical fiction at the University of Melbourne.
When I'm not writing or lecturing, I spend my time gardening, reading, travelling, cooking, watching, talking and listening.
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