Tallow (34 page)

Associate Professor Karen Brooks is Deputy Head of the School of Arts and Social Sciences at Southern Cross University in Lismore and has a PhD in cultural studies.

Renowned internationally for her work on popular culture, Karen is also a dynamic and award-winning teacher. She is a columnist for
The Courier Mail
and an 'expert' on Channel 7's
Sunrise, The Morning Show
and
Today Tonight.
She is also a regular on ABC's
The Einstein Factor
as part of the Brains Trust. Author of the popular
Cassandra Klein
quartet and
Rifts through Quentaris,
Karen's first non-fiction book
Consuming Innocence: Popular Culture and Our Children
was published in 2008 to rave reviews. In recognition of the public debates she has stimulated and her academic and creative contributions to Australian and global society, she is cited in
Who's Who of Australian Women 2007-2009.

Karen has a wonderful partner, Stephen, and two children, and shares her house with three dogs, a cat and an assortment of chickens and sheep as well as resident birdlife and possums. She lives in a place known as the Rainbow Region, the perfect environment for writing fantasy.