Ambelin Kwaymullina loves reading sci-fi and fantasy books and has wanted to write a novel since she was six years old. She comes from the Palyku people of the Pilbara region of Western Australia. When not writing or reading, she teaches law, illustrates picture books, and hangs out with her dogs. She has previously written a number of children’s books, both alone and with other members of her family.
The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf is her first novel. Ambelin Kwaymullina lives in Australia.
About Me
I am an Aboriginal writer who comes from the Palyku people of the Pilbara region of Western Australia. I’ve wanted to write a novel since I was a kid. It took a lot longer to do it than I thought it would when I was six.
My mum and brothers are also writers, and they read everything I write before I send it to a publisher. Because we’re all writers and we want our work to be the best it can be, we’re really honest with one another. So sometimes I’ll give them something to read and they’ll tell me it’s rubbish. I’ll be like, “But what about this bit at the end? I thought that was good!” And they’re all, “Nope. Rubbish.” But then they'll suggest ways to improve the story, the same as I would for one of their stories, and we all write much better stories than we would if we didn’t have one another.
About My Work
The Tribe is a three book dystopian series set on a future Earth where the world was ripped apart by an environmental cataclysm known as the Reckoning. The survivors of the Reckoning live in an ecotopia where they strive to protect the Balance of the world, the inherent harmony between all life. But anyone born with an ability — Firestarters, who control fire; Rumblers, who can cause earthquakes; Boomers, who can make things explode — is viewed as a threat to the Balance. Any child or teenager found to have such a power is labeled an Illegal and locked away in detention centers by the government.
Except for the ones who run. . . .
Three Things You Didn't Know About Me
1. The name of my people — Palyku — is pronounced “Bailgu.”
2. I cannot sing. Unfortunately, this does not stop me from singing.
3. I teach law at the University of Western Australia. In addition to not being able to sing, I am not funny and never have been. This does not stop me from making jokes in lectures. Sometimes my students actually do laugh. This only encourages me.
