Bio

Emily Rodda is the author of the hugely successful Deltora Quest series, with over two million copies in print. Winner of the Children’s Book Council of Australia’s Book of the Year (Younger Readers) Award a record five times, she seems to know instinctively what children want to read. 

Her first book, Something Special, was published in 1984. It marked the beginning of a career that has seen her become one of the most successful, prolific and versatile writers in Australia. She has written or co-authored well over fifty books for children, and as Jennifer Rowe (her real name) she writes popular mystery novels for adults. Her children's books range from picture books to young adult novels.

She has been a full-time writer since 1994. "I feel very lucky to have a job I love so much," she says. Her four children, including twin boys, have given her plenty of inspiration over the years. "None of the characters in my books are exactly like anyone I know, but all of them have things in common with people I know. Everyone writes from his or her own experience. I look at people I know and listen to them and when I am trying to think of a new character, these things come back to me."

Emily Rodda currently lives in Sydney, Australia.