Pietro Renda

Pietro was born to Italian migrants, Antonino and Nazzarena Renda. The second of three children, he shared the experiences of growing up in a traditional Italian home in the Western suburbs of Melbourne with his older brother Corrado and younger sister Sebastiana. After completing his Bachelor of Arts in Professional Writing in 1996, Pietro developed a passion for travel, visiting the United States, Canada, many South Pacific islands and eventually, Western Europe. The highlight of his travels came in 2001 when he proposed to his now wife Jennifer in the Swiss Alps. Pietro married Jennifer in 2002 and together they have two children, Annie and Antonio. He started teaching English at secondary school in 2003.

Although born in Australia, Daniela grew up in a southern Italian household where cultural traditions were integrated with Australian culture. The third daughter born to migrants Paolo and Lucia Ibrido, Daniela is proud of her dual identity. She completed her B.A. Dip.Ed in 1992 and worked in Community Education for the following 10 years. This introduced Daniela to working with marginalised and ethnic groups. For the last ten years, Daniela has taught English in a secondary school in Melbourne's Western suburbs, which allows her to continue her work with marginalised young people from various migrant backgrounds. In 1996, Daniela went on her first world trip which ignited her curiosity for exploring and understanding different cultures. She still travels regularly with her husband to many parts of the world. Daniela lives in Melbourne's northern suburbs with her husband Steven and her cat Nelson. This is Daniela's first novel.