Eileen O'Hely

Eileen O’Hely is a former astrophysicist who traded staying up all night looking through a telescope on a cold mountaintop for writing middle grade fiction. Her first book, Penny the Pencil, won the Children's Books Ireland Bisto Honour Award, and many of her other works have been shortlisted for awards, which is very exciting as she sometimes gets to go to the presentation dinner even if she doesn't win.

As an avid reader, Eileen keenly supports Library For All in their mission to make knowledge available to all, equally, by donating stories so that 20 million children will have improved educational outcomes by 2030.

Eileen lives in Brisbane with her husband, three children, itinerant possums and the occasional blue tongue lizard who are not at all perturbed by her exuberant spoodle.