Judith Raphael Buckrich was born in Budapest and emigrated to Australia in 1958. She is the author of several local histories, a biography of George Turner (1999) and co-editor of She’s Fantastical (1995). She has been very active in PEN in Australia and is convenor of International PEN’s International Women Writers' Committee. Lucy Sussex was born in New Zealand and is published widely as a reviewer and literary critic. She is also an author of sci-fi, horror and detective stories. She edited The Fortunes of Mary Fortune (1989) and was co-editor of She’s Fantastical (1995), among others. Her short story "My Lady Tongue" won the Ditmar (Australian Science Fiction Achievement Award) in 1988. In 1994 she was a judge for the International Tiptree Award for speculative fiction. Among her books are My Lady Tongue and Other Tales (1990), The Scarlet Rider (1996). She has published novels for children, young adults and adults. Her first book was The Peace Garden (1989), followed by Deersnake (1994), The Penguin Friend (1997) and Black Ice (1997). The Revognase, part of the Quentaris series, was published in 2003 and Absolute Uncertainty (2006). Matilda Told Such Dreadful Lies, a collection of her best writing is due out in 2011. She writes a weekly review column in the Sunday Age and the West Australian.