Emma Allen was a trained speech pathologist, specialising in early childhood, before she returned to university to pursue a lifelong love of literature. She writes from home while looking after her young daughter. Freya Blackwood completed a Bachelor of Design (Visual Communications) at the University of Technology, Sydney, focusing on film and animation. After making two short films, she worked in the film industry in Sydney and then in New Zealand on the film adaptation of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. Her first book illustration project was John Heffernan's Two Summers. Since then she has illustrated many other award-winning picture books.