John Heffernan has been writing since 1997. In that time he has produced about 14 books on a range of subjects and genre, for a variety of ages. His main age group is 10-14 years, but he writes for older and younger readers.

One series that has been very popular is the SPUD series. There are three books here (SPUD, CHIPS and PUP) that deal with life on the land in Australia seen through the eyes of the work dogs. The books are fiercely realistic and pull no punches, showing a way of life that can hard and cruel at times, but also beautiful.

John has also written on war and refugees. His book MY DOG won Book of the Year for the Children's Book Council of Australia. It is a picture book for all ages about the war in Bosnia. The sequel to this book (More than Gold) deals with a young Bosnian refugee who settles in Australia with his mother.

John also loves writing in the science fiction/fantasy genre. He has two books out in the Mythos Trilogy which centre around a post-apocalyptic Sydney in the 23rd Century. Wild, tattooed tribes called the Oztrakii battle with the rulers of the Sydney basin called the CroNullas. The two titles published so far are CBD and GBH. A third book is being written at present, called FAQ, and even though this is a trilogy, John thinks it may extend to five books.

And then of course there is John's new book coming out in the Quentaris series called The Mind Master. Quentaris is rocked by a series of murders. Only one boy (Torrad) knows who is behind them, the evil Psykhan, who plans to seize power in the city-state. Torrad has powers of mind magic, but is he any match for the Mind Master himself?

"I've thoroughly enjoyed writing in the Quentaris series. It's such an exciting shared universe to work in, a world of mystery and magic where almost anything can happen. Writers' heaven!"

John Heffernan's Website

Read The Eternal Night Interview with John Heffernan (April 2004) here