Wendy Orr was born in Edmonton, Canada, but grew up in various places across Canada, France, the USA and UK, before moving to Australia at twenty-one. She started writing when her children were young and eventually gave up her career as an occupational therapist to become a full-time writer. She’s the author of many books, including Nim’s Island (which inspired the feature film), Raven’s Mountain, Peeling the Onion and Dragonfly Song; major awards include the CBCA Book of the Year, the Adelaide Festival Award for Children’s Literature, and the Prime Minister’s Award for Children’s Literature.

Wendy has always been fascinated by ancient history, and one of the greatest adventures of her life was visiting the sites of Crete and Santorini where Dragonfly Song and Swallow’s Dance take place. Under an archaeologist’s guidance, she handled stone pottery tools, identified shards of Minoan pottery, and stood on the powdery clay floor of the potter’s workshop. She descended into the deep, mysterious cave known as the birthplace of the god Zeus, and climbed to the top of a mountain where a Minoan shrine once stood. On the path to the shrine, she found a tiny, smooth white pebble that didn’t seem to belong with the rocks around. ‘It was an offering to the goddess,’ the archaeologist told her. That’s why Wendy believes that there’s always an element of magic in writing.