Who Am I?
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.
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. 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, all of whom are
now studying at University. Photos of two 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. I'm into great food, movies
and painting. It's a sad thing that as a writer I might have
some modest ability, perhaps, but as an artist I am utterly without talent. Still, I
enjoy dabbling and it has enhanced my respect for and understanding of the
great artists and their paintings. My favourites are the two
M's, Manet and Monet.
Click for Home Page Welcome to James Moloney's Home Page
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