Genesis: The Creation of a Fantasy World

Amie Kaufman is a New York Times, USA Today and internationally bestselling author of science fiction and fantasy. Her multi-award winning work has been translated into nearly thirty languages, and is in development for film and TV. Raised in Australia and occasionally Ireland, Amie has degrees in history, literature, law and conflict resolution, and is currently undertaking a PhD in Creative Writing. She lives by the sea in Melbourne with her family, and an extremely large personal library. Her latest book is the fantasy adventure The Isles of the Gods.

Jay Kristoff is the award-winning author of The Lotus War, The Illuminae Files and The Nevernight Chronicle. He is a winner of the Aurealis Award, nominee for the David Gemmell Morningstar and Legend awards, named in the Kirkus Best Teen Books list and published in a dozen countries, most of which he has never visited. Being the holder of an arts degree, he has no education to speak of.

Jay is 6'7 and has approximately 13380 days to live. He abides in Melbourne with his secret agent kung-fu assassin wife, and the world's laziest Jack Russell.

He does not believe in happy endings.

Kimberley Starr is an Australian novelist and teacher whose novels have won and been shortlisted for multiple literary awards, including the Queensland Premier’s Literary Award and the Text Publishing YA Prize. She lives with her sons and their labrador in semi-rural Victoria and is currently completing a PhD in Creative Writing. Kimberley’s latest novel, Torched, was published by Pantera Press in March 2020. Her debut novel, The Kingdom Where Nobody Dies, won the 2003 Queensland Premier’s Literary Award for Best Emerging Author. She has a degree in mediaeval literature, and travelled through Turkey and Israel to research The Book of Whispers.

A full-time writer since 2001, Garth Nix previously worked as a literary agent, marketing consultant, book editor, book publicist, book sales representative, bookseller, and as a part-time soldier in the Australian Army Reserve. Garth’s books include the award-winning young adult fantasy novels Sabriel, Lirael and Abhorsen; the dystopian novel Shade’s Children; the space opera A Confusion of Princes; and a Regency romance with magic, Newt’s Emerald. More than five million copies of his books have been sold around the world, his books have appeared on the bestseller lists of The New York Times, Publishers Weekly, The Guardian and The Australian, and his work has been translated into 40 languages. He lives in a Sydney beach suburb with his wife and two children.