Thalia Kalkipsakis grew up on a farm on the outskirts of Melbourne with a mum who tried to save battery hens by on-selling them as backyard chickens. Her dad worked as an industrial chemist while also growing strawberries, carrots and Christmas trees on the farm. It was not unusual to find plant shoots in the freezer, or the hair dryer missing because it was needed to heat one of her dad's experiments. Thalia's childhood showed her the magic that can happen when science and nature combine with human creativity. The first book in the Lifespan of Starlight series was published in 2015. These days, Thalia lives in regional Victoria with her husband, their two children and two black cats.