Oscar Malenar

Oscar Malenar was born in Alice Springs, Australia in June of 1964. Growing up in such a remote area of Australia, Malenar often turned to reading and his vivid imagination forent ertainment. Over time, his interests grew to include a love of writing and a keen interest in the fairytales, folklore, and culture of many different countries around the globe.

At age 18, Malenar enlisted in the Australian Army and served a six-year enlistment period. During his enlistment, he achieved the rank of Sergeant and was stationed at several military bases including Larrakeyah Barracks in the Northern Territories and Gallipoli Barracks in Queensland. Malenar also deployed to Fiji in 1987.

After completing his military service, Malenar attended school in Adelaide, earning a Bachelor of Media degree with a specialization in Journalism. He spent the next seven years writing travel and leisure articles for several prominent Australian publications. In 1999, Malenar became interested in working with children and changing careers, began teaching English at a middle school in Darwin where he taught for the next seventeen years before again deciding to change directions.

Taking early retirement from teaching, Malenar set out to pursue a long-held dream and started writing stories for children. An avid outdoorsman, he enjoys fishing and hiking and volunteers as a dedicated adult leader for the Australian Venture Scouts, where he specializes in teaching outdoor survival skills. Malenar currently resides in Adelaide with his Blue Heeler, Jezebel.