I was born in Yorkshire, England, then migrated to Australia at the age of twenty-one. I was always trying to write, but could never finish the stories I began. Instead I drifted around as a singer, songwriter and poet, then became a university tutor and finally a university lecturer. But after twenty-five years of writer’s block, I finally finished the cult novel, The Vicar of Morbing Vyle, and resigned my lectureship to follow my original dream.
Since then, I've had seventeen books published, all fantasy, SF or horror/supernatural, ranging from Children’s to Young Adult to Adult. My biggest success internationally has come with my YA steampunk fantasies, Worldshaker and its sequels. I've won six Aurealis Awards (Australia's Nebulas) and th
