Pat lives at Scarborough on the south coast of New South Wales with her cats, Mr. Meowgi and Oscar. Prior to devoting her time to writing, Pat worked in children's services for over 20 years, in Early Childhood, Out of School Hours Care, the National Maritime Museum as Kids' Deck Coordinator, and as a Tafe teacher. Pat is a writer of poetry, short stories, flash fiction and children's picture books. Her poetry has been published in children's literary magazines including School Magazine and has won awards in the UK and Australia. www. patsimmonswriter. com. au