Nean McKenzie is a children's writer and optometrist who lives in western Melbourne. Originally from Bendigo, Nean lived in New Zealand, Europe and North East Africa before returning to Victoria. Nean has a Diploma in Professional Writing and Editing from RMIT. In 2016 she was awarded a Maurice Saxby Mentorship for Cryptosight, which is her first published novel. In 2023 she was awarded a fellowship at the KSP writers centre in Perth.