Kate Forsyth's Long-Lost Fairy Tales

About the Author

Dr Kate Forsyth is an award-winning author, poet, and storyteller. Her most recent novel is The Crimson Thread, a reimagining of 'The Minotaur in the Labyrinth' myth set in Crete during the Nazi invasion and occupation of World War II.

Other historical novels include Beauty in Thorns, a reimagining of 'Sleeping Beauty' told in the voices of four women of the Pre-Raphaelite circle of artists and poets; The Wild Girl, the story of the forbidden romance behind the Grimm brothers' fairy tales which was named Most Memorable Love Story of 2013; and Bitter Greens, a retelling of 'Rapunzel' which won the 2015 American Library Association award for Best Historical Fiction.

Kate's non-fiction books include Searching for Charlotte: The Fascinating Story of Australia's First Children's Author, co-written by her sister Belinda Murrell, with the assistance of the Nancy Keesing Fellowship. It was longlisted for the 2021 Readings Non-Fiction Prize and the Indie Book Awards. Her collection of essays, The Rebirth of Rapunzel: A Mythic Biography of the Maiden in the Tower, won the Aurealis Convenors' Award for Excellence in 2016 and the William Atheling Jr Award for Criticism in 2017.

Kate has a BA in literature, a MA in creative writing and a Doctorate of Creative Arts in fairy tale studies, and is also an accredited master storyteller with the Australian Guild of Storytellers. She has taught writing retreats in Australia, Fiji, Greece, and the United Kingdom.

Lorena Carrington is an illustrator and writer with a background in fine arts, photography and design. She is known for her work in fairy tales and children's books, which have been published in Australia and overseas.

She also exhibits regularly in galleries, presents at literary and arts festivals around Australia, and visits schools and libraries to give talks and hold workshops on illustration, books and story.

Lorena won the 2020 Australian Fairy Tale Society award, for her "outstanding contribution to the field of Australian Fairy Tales" and received a 2023 May Gibbs Creative Time Fellowship for her work in children's literature.