John Heffernan lives in the New England Tablelands of New South Wales. He has written more than fifty books for young readers, over a wide range of genres and age groups. His books have won numerous awards. A journey through Afghanistan led to an ongoing interest in that country, and inspired the writing of Naveed: Through My Eyes. Naveed won the 2015 YABBA Honour Book Award for Readers in Years 7-9, and has been shortlisted again for YABBA in that category for 2016. John writes with integrity and honesty, and his experience as a teacher has been invaluable in his writing and in his relationship with his readers.