Karen Brooks was born in Sydney, Australia and is an author, academic, and was a newspaper columnist with the Courier Mail for 18 years and an advice columnist with U on Sunday. Once upon a time, she was an army officer and even an actor. She has a Ph.D. in English/Cultural Studies and has published internationally on all things popular culture, education and social psychology. An award-winning teacher, she’s taught throughout Australia and in The Netherlands. She's currently an Honorary Senior Research Consultant with University of Queensland.

When not writing, Karen loves being with her family and her fur kids - three dogs and four cats – spending time with friends, pouring beers and spirits in her husband’s brewery and distillery, Captain Bligh’s, cooking, travelling, reading and dreaming. She lives in Hobart, Tasmania, in a stone house with a name built in 1868, and which has its own wonderful stories to tell.