Lili Wilkinson
Born in 1981, Lili Wilkinson clearly remembers the day she first learnt to read in her head. She was six at the time, and has been immersed in the world of books ever since - an obsession she shares with her mother, author Carole Wilkinson. Lili studied Creative Arts at Melbourne Uni, and then spent time teaching English in Japan. On her return, she worked at the Centre for Youth Literature, at the State Library of Victoria. Lili is now studying for her PhD and writing full time. Lili's first book, 'Joan of Arc', for the award-winning 'Drum' series, combines her interest in fiction, history and research. She lives in inner-city Melbourne, and loves reading, movies, shoes, the work of Jim Henson and Japanese food.
Author's Comment: I try and make the books first and foremost about the characters, and make them feel like real people. There's nothing worse than a book that sacrifices the genuineness of the characters in order to promote some kind of "Message". I reckon if you make characters feel genuine and real, the other stuff will come automatically. Also making it funny helps too. So it [novel 'Pink', 2009] isn't an "issues novel". I think it's totally possible and valid to write light,
entertaining books that still address the Big Stuff. Just because a book has a pink cover doesn't mean it's trashy!
Nationality: Australian
