Sean Williams was born in the dry, flat lands of South Australia, where he still lives with his wife and family and teaches creative writing at Flinders University. He has been called many things in his time, including (somewhat ostentatiously) "the premier Australian speculative fiction writer of the age" (Aurealis), the "Emperor of Sci-Fi" (Adelaide Advertiser), the "Lord of the Genre" (Perth Writers' Festival), and the "King of Chameleons" (Australian Book Review) for the diversity of his published output. That output includes fifty novels for readers all ages, over one hundred short stories across numerous genres, the odd published poem, and even a sci-fi musical. He is a multiple recipient of the Aurealis and Ditmar Awards and has been nominated for the Philip K. Dick Award, the Seiun Award, the NSW Premier's Awards, and the William Atheling Jr. Award for criticism. He received the "SA Great" Literature Award in 2000 and the Peter McNamara Award for contributions to Australian speculative fiction in 2008. His latest novels are Impossible Music and Her Perilous Mansion, both Childrens Book Council of Australian Notable Books.