Cecilia Dart-Thornton was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia, graduating from Monash University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology. She became a schoolteacher before working as an editor, bookseller, illustrator and book designer. She started and ran her own business, but became a full-time writer in 2000 after her work was '-discovered' on the Internet and published by Time Warner (New York). A keen supporter of animal rights and wilderness conservation, she has also branched out into such diverse industries as clay sculpting, performing in folk music bands, and digital media. Her books are published around the world and have been translated into several languages. They have appeared on the Australian bestseller lists and received acclaim from the Washington Post, The Times, Locus Magazine, Good Reading Magazine, Kirkus Reviews, The Herald Sun, Library Journal, The Sunday Age, The Mercury, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction and The Weekend Australian.