PHILIP DEAN was born in rural Queensland and is a graduate of the Queensland College of Art and the University of Queensland. His writing for the stage includes adaptations of three Nick Earls' novels, 48 Shades of Brown, Zig-Zag Street and After January as well as Long Gone Lonesome Cowgirls. Dean is the winner of a Matilda Award and an AWGIE Award.

NICK EARLS is the author of 26 books for adults, teenagers and children. He has been compared to Nick Hornby and Raymond Carver. He is the winner of a number of awards, including a Betty Trask Award (UK) and Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Award. His Wisdom Tree novellas have won gold medals in the Independent Publisher Book Awards and the eLit Book Awards in the US, the People’s Choice Award at the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards and an Australian Book Design Award. His novel Perfect Skin was a finalist in the Australian Comedy Awards and was adapted into an Italian feature film (Warner Brothers / Cattleya), as was his novel 48 Shades of Brown (Buena Vista / Prima). Five of his novels have been adapted into stage plays. He has also written for newspapers, including the New York Times, Guardian, Australian and Sydney Morning Herald. His novels have appeared on bestseller lists in Australia and the UK. He lives in Brisbane.