Aidan Phelan is an independent author from Melbourne, Australia. He launched his career writing historical true crime and fiction as the writer and historian for A Guide to Australian Bushranging, a website he established in 2017. In 2020, he published his debut novel, Glenrowan, which was based on his research into the siege that ended the criminal career of Ned Kelly. Since then, he has released a second edition of Glenrowan, as well as non-fiction books Aaron Sherritt: Persona non Grata, Bushranging Tales: Volume One and his edit of the bushranger William Westwood's autobiography, published as William Westwood In His Own Words. He has also written two books about Ned Kelly aimed at junior readers, Ned Kelly: The Bullet-Proof Bushranger and The Story of Ned Kelly. In 2024 he began publishing his first completely original novel series, The Widow, set in colonial Australia during the 1860s. In 2025, he published Outlaws, the second part of the trilogy. Outside of books, he has co-written the screenplay for Depression-era drama The Sundowner with Australian director Matthew Holmes (The Legend of Ben Hall, The Cost, Fear Below), which is currently in production and is slated for release in 2026.
