Fiona Kidman was born in 1940. She has worked as a librarian, creative writing teacher, radio producer and critic, but primarily as a writer. To date she has published over 20 books, including novels, poetry, non-fiction and a play. She has been the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships and was created a Dame (DNZM) in 1998 in recognition of her contribution to literature. Her last novel, The Captive Wife, was runner up in the Montana Book Awards Deutz Medal for Fiction.