NICK BLAND was born in the Yarra Valley of Australia. The son of an artist and a primary school teacher, he spent his early years on the farm where his parents lived. At age six, he moved with his family to "the bush," where he dreamed of being a cartoonist and a writer from a very young age. He took a job at a bookstore, and decided to write and illustrate children''s books. His first book, A Monster Wrote Me a Letter, was published in Australia in 2005. He currently lives in Darwin, Australia and works full time as an author and illustrator.