I grew up with ghosts outside my door. They haunted dark trees and cemeteries and were the spirits of young girls betrayed by lovers. These stories were made real by my cousins who were always telling me how just last year a child around my age had been snatched by one of these ghosts – Pontianaks. And never seen again… Then there were the rumours of babies abandoned in the rainforest because they were girls. Whenever I met Chinese girls raised by Malay families, I wondered how much truth was in these stories. In Singapore it is considered a treat to bring children to Haw Par Villa, originally a venue for teaching traditional Chinese values. Here children are shown the ten views of Hell. I had nightmares for a week after each visit. Even today, I can visualize the demons as they tortured liars by pulling their tongues, elongating them grotesquely. This is probably why I never wanted to be a writer. Initially. Writers bend the truth. A little. Then I came to Australia for my education, met my husband, married and stayed. When my first son was born I read him stories. And somehow something stirred. I remembered my grandfather and how he would tell fairy tale after fairy tale, at least ten per night until in frustration he would record them to be spared reading the same stories repeatedly. Thus, in a strange land far away from my own family and what was familiar, I began to write. And in my stories, I could come home. To a land where boys turn into crickets and mousedeer dance laughing upon the backs of crocodiles. Theresa currently resides with her family in Sydney, Australia. You can find her on Facebook.

Heidi Wessman Kneale is an Australian author of moderate repute who writes escapist fiction. She is fond of Romance and Fantasy, often blending the two, for what is love without a little bit of magic? Whether she writes about Regency debutantes or feisty American Suffragettes, Kneale applies her own brand of magic and wonder with a dash of wry humour. Her books are sure to please fans of Mary Robinette Kowal, Gail Carriger and Stephanie Burgis.

A self-described nerd and lover of science, Linda Rae spent many years as a published technical writer specializing in 3D graphics workstations, software and 3D animation (her movie credits include SHREK and SHREK 2). An interest in genealogy led to years of research on the Regency era and a desire to write fiction based in that time. A fan of action-adventure movies, she can frequently be found at the local cinema. Although she no longer has any fish, she follows the San Jose Sharks. She makes her home in Cody, Wyoming. More information about her books can be found at www.lindaraesande.com.

Pamela is a best-selling, award-winning author of more than 40 books. As Pamela Hart, she writes the Poppy McGowan Mysteries and historical fiction, including Regency romance. As Pamela Freeman, she writes children's fiction and non-fiction, and is well known for her fantasy novels for adults, the CASTINGS TRILOGY and her Aurealis Award winning novel EMBER AND ASH. Pamela lives in Sydney with her husband and their son, and teaches at the Australian Writers' Centre. She has a Doctorate of Creative Arts from the University of Technology, Sydney, where she has also lectured in creative writing. Also published under Pamela Freeman - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

Clyve Rose is an award-winning author of historical Regency romance fiction. She also creates literary novels under an alternative pen name. She has been writing historical romance for the best part of two decades. Clyve researches various mythologies and historical periods in between her devotion to fiction writing, often basing her characters on actual historical personalities. One of her novels was longlisted for a 2010 Hachette Fiction Award, while her paranormal short story, The One Below, is an award-winning piece. Her debut novel won awarded a BookFest Gold Medal in 2020, and her first novella won an IRWIN in 2021. Connect with Clyve Rose at clyverose.com and Instagram.com/ClyveRose.