Matt Zurbo is a writer and bush worker. He has had nine kids books published, one of which became an Emmy winning cartoon, as well as YA novels (shortlisted CBC Book of the Year), and various works of fiction and non-fiction. He has written for music magazines and copious amounts on Aussie Rules football. He has published many things under many fake names on the internet, just for the fun of it, but won’t tell you what they are! He just loves stories, and writing.
Matt has spent most of his life working in hard jobs in remote bush throughout Australia. He was never sure just where this love of storytelling came from. Then, one day, his father told him of his own youth.
Matt’s father was raised in the Transylvanian mountains while they were still a part of Hungary. His grandmother was a storyteller, who would whisper amazing tales to put him to sleep, while, outside their shack, wolves howled in the snow.
After hearing that, Matt realised he never had a choice!
Matt’s two trades can be done anywhere. His and Elena’s daughter Cielo was born in the southern tip of Tassie, where Matt was building remote coastal cliff walking tracks. After a year or more of the three of them living in tropical north Queensland, where he was doing bio security in the rainforest mountains and gorges, which was where the Cielo project started. After that they spent time in the temperate forests of the Otway Ranges behind the Great Ocean Road, and are now down south again, where Matt is oyster farming. Who knows where they will be by the time you read this! Matt and Elena are madly in love and they both think there is so much of this life and world to explore.
Matt has also done stand-up comedy, had a radio show, been heavily involved in music, once ran a festival, and other silly stuff. He is currently playing his 37th season of Aussie Rules football. His wife, Elena, is an architect and interior designer by trade.
365 kids books in 365 days 