Bio

Christine Bongers grew up with six brothers on a farm outside Biloela, Central Queensland. She moved to Brisbane to attend University and three degrees later, she is still there.

After a couple of misguided attempts at a psychology degree, Christine found her bearings in journalism, 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’s first attempt at writing fiction was short-listed for the Varuna Manuscript Development Awards in 2006. She completed a Master of Arts (Research) in youth writing 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, will be published by Scholastic in 2012.

Christine shares her life with husband Andrew, and children, Connor, Brydie, Clancy and Jake, their ageing cat Al, and Huggy the Beaglier, whose appetite for togs, thongs and underpants hit the family harder than the global financial crisis. Most days Chris can be spotted in Brisbane’s inner north wearing one orange thong and one black one (minus the diamantes it once sported). Huggy usually can be found, lurking nearby, with a bra strap dangling from his puppy chops.