Bio

Christine Bongers grew up with six brothers on a farm outside Biloela, Central Queensland. She attended Jambin State School and Biloela State High, then moved to Brisbane to attend University. Three degrees later (B. Bus. Comm, MBA and MA), she is still there.

After a couple of misguided attempts at a psychology degree at UQ, Christine found her bearings in journalism at QIT, became besotted with radio, tripped and fell into television, segued into public relations and ended up writing for a living for most of her adult life.

Christine has worked as a broadcast journalist on the ABC, and in commercial television and radio, in Brisbane and London. She has also written and directed two environmental television documentaries, and run her own media consultancy.

Christine completed a Master of Arts (Research) in youth writing at QUT in 2008.

Her debut novel Dust, published by Random House Australia under its Woolshed Press Imprint, was a CBCA Notable Book for 2010 and was Highly Commended in the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards for Children’s Fiction.

Henry Hoey Hobson, her second novel, was launched by CBCA National President Marj Kirkland in July 2010 and was shortlisted for the 2011 CBCA Book of the Year for Younger Readers, the WA Premier’s Book Awards and the Queensland Premier’s Literary Awards. She is currently working on an adult crime novel, The Lonely Dead and a YA novel, Intruder.

Drongoes, her illustrated chapter book for newly independent readers,was published by Scholastic in February 2013.

Christine shares her life with husband Andrew, children, Connor, Brydie, Clancy and Jake, and their dog, Huggy, the Derek Zoolander of Beagles (really, really, really good looking, but not very bright).

For more obscure autobiographical trivia, please click the following link: Twenty things you don’t need to know about Christine Bongers.