Garth Nix was born in 1963 in Melbourne, Australia. A full-time writer since 2001, he has worked as a literary agent, marketing consultant, book editor, book publicist, book sales representative, bookseller, and part-time soldier in the Australian Army Reserve. Garth's books include the award-winning fantasy novelsย Sabriel,ย Lirael, andย Abhorsen;ย Clariel, a prequel in the Abhorsen series; the cult favorite teen science fiction novelย Shade's Children; and his critically acclaimed collection of short stories,ย To Hold the Bridge. His fantasy novels for younger readers includeย The Ragwitch, the six books of the Seventh Tower sequence, the Keys to the Kingdom series, andย A Confusion of Princes. His books have appeared on the bestseller lists of theย New York Times,ย Publishers Weekly, theย Guardian, and theAustralian, and his work has been translated in forty languages. He lives in Sydney, Australia, with his wife and two children.