Short Bio
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A.J. Betts is a Fremantle-based author, speaker, teacher, columnist and cyclist. Her latest work is a contemporary young-adult novel called ONE SONG, about a teenage band trying to record a song to enter into the prestigious Triple J Unearthed High competition. Her earlier books include the two-book speculative fiction series comprising HIVE and ROGUE, ZAC & MIA (which was adapted into an Emmy Award-winning Hollywood television series), WAVELENGTH and SHUTTERSPEED. In 2019, A.J. was awarded a PhD on the topic of wonder (Edith Cowan University), and won the inaugural Western Australian Premier's Fellowship. A J. is originally from Queensland but has lived in Western Australia since 2004.
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(Downloadable hi res image)
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Longer Bio
Childhood
I grew up in Far North Queensland (Tully, then Innisfail). I loved to read and was transfixed by stories of dragons, kings, and faraway places. I became obsessed with Little Golden Books, Sesame Street books, and Mr Men. Of course, bikes and Tonka Trucks were also appealing.
I was the kind of kid who would re-read favourite books. I loved Roald Dahl, Enid Blyton, LM Montgomery, Johanna Spyri and later, Sue Townsend, Robin Klein and Douglas Adams. I went through a fantasy phase and a Spike Milligan phase - whatever I could find in the Innisfail Library, really - and discovered I had a knack for writing quirky poems and stories.
I was the kind of kid who would re-read favourite books. I loved Roald Dahl, Enid Blyton, LM Montgomery, Johanna Spyri and later, Sue Townsend, Robin Klein and Douglas Adams. I went through a fantasy phase and a Spike Milligan phase - whatever I could find in the Innisfail Library, really - and discovered I had a knack for writing quirky poems and stories.
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Travel & work
After school and uni, I spent a few years teaching in Brisbane then travelled the world with a backpack and a camera. In 2004 I finally returned to Australia, then proceeded to drive across it. I based myself in Perth where I finished writing ShutterSpeed, published by Fremantle Press in 2008. Wavelength was published in 2010, and Zac & Mia in 2013. I’ve written lots of poems and articles on various subjects. A story about my grandfather was published in the gorgeous book Lines of Wisdom by Affirm Press in 2008. I've presented talks on cycling (Women of Letters) and creativity (TEDx Hale). |
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What else?
When I'm not writing, reading or speaking, I try to get outside on one of my five bikes, or take my dog to the river or beach. I love travel, films, books, music, podcasts and being in nature.