JAMES MOLONEY

AUTHOR

James Moloney was born in Sydney but his parents soon shipped the family up to Brisbane. He's lived in Queensland ever since. His experiences as a young teacher in Cunnamulla, a small town in Queensland's far west, were the foundation for his first Young Adult novel, CROSSFIRE.

After he returned to Brisbane, James was appointed teacher-librarian at a boys school and he returned to writing.

His companion novels DOUGY and GRACEY take an uncompromising look at racism and racial identity in contemporary Australia. ANGELA, the third and concluding book in this series, was published in 1998.

In all his books, James's characters live through his unerring and sympathetic perception of young people from various backgrounds.

"To me," says James, "the purest literary passion is the drive to put out there...the deepest felt ideals of your world view and, indeed, your very existence."

Understandably, this is not an easy path to follow. Crystallising thoughts, expanding horizons, and making concepts accessible without losing humanity, is a daunting task. The amazing number of awards that James has received is an indication of how successfully he has followed his literary ideals.

James has also written with great insight on the topic of boys and reading and has been keynote speaker at several conferences on the topic. TOUCH ME was published in 2000; BLACK TAXI, in 2003 and THE BOOK OF LIES, James's first foray into fantasy writing, in 2004.

Since publishing CROSSFIRE in 1992, James has received an impressive number of literary accolades and awards including,

1993 CBC Notable Book for Older Readers, CROSSFIRE,

1993 The Family Award, CROSSFIRE,

1994 CBC Book of the Year for Older Readers (Honour Book): DOUGY,

1995 CBC Book of the Year for Older Readers (Honour Book): GRACEY,

1995 CBC Shortlisted Book of the Year for Older Readers: HOUSE ON RIVER TERRACE,

1996 CBC Book of the Year for Younger Readers: SWASHBUCKLER,

1997 CBC Book of the Year for Older Readers: A BRIDGE TO WISEMAN'S COVE,

1997 The Family Award, A BRIDGE TO WISEMAN'S COVE,

2004 CBC Shortlisted Book of the Year for Older Readers: BLACK TAXI.

"…in telling stories, we are at least offering readers a chance to work things out for themselves as well. They excite our passions, stir us up and keep our minds bubbling over for days ,weeks. We carry a little of them into the rest of our life. "

- James Moloney