Phillip Gwynne

Phillip Gwynne grew up in rural South Australia and Victoria, where he was one of eight siblings. As a young man, he played professional Australian Rules football and graduated from James Cook University with a degree in Marine Biology. Before beginning to write novels at age 40, Gwynne worked as a fruit picker, a fishing boat deckhand, and a pool manager. He published his first novel, Deadly, Unna?, to widespread critical acclaim and commercial success. Throughout the 2000s, Gwynne published popular young adult novels, including the sequel to Deadly, Unna?, Nukkin Ya, as well as several picture books. In 2002, Gwynne collaborated on the screenplay for Australian Rules, the award-winning film based on his first novel. He currently lives in Bali, Indonesia with his family, and his next young adult novel is expected to be published in 2020.