Derek Mortimer, a Sydney based writer and freelance journalist, was born in Bradford, Yorkshire, a place of mills and moorland. As a child he was enthralled by the writings of the Bronte sisters who grew up in nearby Haworth. Before becoming a journalist in his early thirties he had many jobs, from factory work in England, to forestry worker in British Columbia, to grape picker in Australia. His creative writings include: young adult fiction, children's short stories, a novel, screenplays, a play, and a TV miniseries. Derek loves to travel. His most recent trips were to Morocco; Central Asia, including the Tian Shan Mountains of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan; and the remote Kimberley region of West Australia. He feels a lucky man, at home in two countries; in one an immigrant, in the other an emigrant. Some of his stories reflect this duality, the immigrant's life, and the days of childhood. He feels passionate about refugees and the mass movement of people throughout the world driven by conflict and oppression. He loves writing about emerging generations, their role in the contemporary world, how they relate to the wider world and the tumultuous changes that are taking place across continents. Derek has a BA in Eng. Lit from Macquarie University, Sydney.