My
full name is James Francis Moloney and I was born in Sydney,
Australia on 20 September, 1954. When I was seven years old, my
family moved to Brisbane and except for the odd year or two, I have
lived in Brisbane ever since. At school, I was into every sport
going - cricket, footy, swimming - you name it. It’s hard to believe
now but in High School, I was a champion Long Jumper!
After
University I became a teacher and then a Teacher Librarian. I moved
around from school to school and in 1977-8 found myself in
Cunnamulla, a little "outback" town where many Indigenous
Australians live. These turned out to be important years for my
writing.
In 1980, I look a
year's leave, stuffed a backpack full of clothes and went off to see
the world. Got to do it, guys! There's so much out there, from
things to uplift your spirit to things that make you question the
humanity of your fellow man. I stepped over rotting dog carcasses in
Mexico city, got all weepy in a roomful of Impressionist paintings
and met some fascinating people. Hope you'll do the same one
day.
1983 was another big year. I got
married and started work at Marist College Ashgrove, an all-boys
school in Brisbane, where I stayed for fifteen years. During this
time, I became interested in writing for young people, at first
using the ideas and experiences gained from my time in Cunnamulla,
mixed in with the thinking and wondering I'd done overseas. After my
early attempts were rejected, the first of my novels,
Crossfire , was published in 1992.
In 1997, my fifth novel for young
adults, A Bridge to Wiseman’s Cove won the Australian
Children’s Book of the Year Award. At the end of that year, I
decided to leave teaching and become a full time writer.
In the
mean time, my wife and I have produced three
great children, two of whom are currently studying at
University. Photos of them to the right, along with my lovely wife,
Kate, who has encouraged me along every step of the way.
Now
that I have turned my hobby into my job, I have had to develop
some other interests. For exercise, I go cycling along the bike
paths around Brisbane. I'm also into great books, great food,
movies, travelling, learning to speak French and I dabble in a
little painting. In recent years Kate and I have spent an
extended period in France, cycled through Vietnam and soon we
will be off to the USA.
Click here for an article I wrote for The Courier Mail titled The Best Day of My Life
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