Nansi Kunze

Nansi Kunze grew up surrounded by books in Australia and the UK, but strangely never had a childhood ambition to become a writer. After studying European languages and ancient history at university she spent several years doing extremely important jobs, such as teaching overseas-trained doctors how to pronounce rude words, helping senior citizens email photos of their grandchildren and showing high school students how to mummify each other. One delusional day in 2000, the idea that she might be able to write a book for adults popped into Nansi's head. It was only after producing a lot of grown-up rubbish and winning two FAW Mary Grant Bruce Awards with her first attempts at Young Adult fiction that she realised her mistake. Since her YA novel Mishaps was published in 2008, she has been able to lead the awesome life of a full-time writer (which, it turns out, is even more fun than teaching people rude words). Her hobbies include reading manga, growing unusual vegetables and dressing like she's off to a costume party. She lives on a small farm overlooking the Victorian Alps with her husband and son and their cat, Schrödinger.

• Nansi Kunze