Victor Kelleher

With a host of novels to his credit, Victor Kelleher has written successfully for both children and adults. Born in London, he spent many years in Africa before settling in Australia in 1976. He was formerly an associate professor of literature, but now writes full-time and lives in Bellingen, New South Wales. His novels have received many awards and commendations, including the Australian Children's Book of the Year Award, the Australian Science Fiction Achievement Award, and a number of children s choice awards. His Lothian picture book Billy the Baked Bean Kid was published in 2002, and another picture book, Maximilian Jones, will be published in August 2004. He has also written The Grimes Family as part of Lothian s Start Ups series, to be published in September 2004.
ILLUSTRATOR Information Elise Hurst (nee Fowler) is a full-time artist, living and working in Princes Hill, Victoria. Elise grew up watching her mother (prominent Melbourne artist Jacqueline Fowler) and many of her relations painting in a variety of styles. Elise says this gave her a head start and she was already painting pastel landscapes while at school. She has won many awards for her artwork. Her previous Lothian books were A Dream of Bunyips Dancing and The Elephants Big Day Out, which was shortlisted for the 2003 Crichton Award. (2000), Cairo Jim and the Lagoon of Tidal Magnificence (2000), Cairo Jim and the Tyrannical Bauble of Tiberius (2001), Cairo Jim and the Chaos from Crete (2002), Cairo Jim and the Rorting of Rameses Regalia (2003), Cairo Jim and Jocelyn Osgood in Bedlam from Bollywood (2004), Cairo Jim and the Sumptuous Stash of Silenus(2005)