About Cristy

Wahey! Hello

I’ve chopped off most of my hair and washed off most of the mud, but I pretty much look the same as in this photo.

Before I became a writer I was a performer in a science circus, a garbage analyst for a university, and an editor for a childrens science magazine (CSIRO’s Scientriffic).

Other random facts:

- I learned to scuba dive in Japan (sugoi desu ne!)
- I have lived in New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Switzerland and the U.K. I live with my fabulous husband, our two super sons, and zero goldfish (because our goldfish always die, sob :-/).
- I like chocolate milk, fruit bowls, children’s books, hiking, energetic people, dogs, bicycles, spag bol on a cold windy night, opportunities, good luck
- I dislike queues, banks, most cats, having cold feet
- I regularly create lists, plans, book ideas, piles of clothes

Writerly me

My first book, Takeshita Demons, won the 2009 Frances Lincoln Diverse Voices Book Award and was selected as part of the 2010 Booktrust Booked Up program. Book 2 is The Filth Licker and Book 3 is Monster Matsuri.

More! More! More!

- I studied science, which was super-interesting and full of fun people: I was working at CERN in Switzerland when they turned on the atom-smashing LHC.

- I have worked as a garbage analyst (smelly), patent translater (slow), Santa’s helper (fun), editor of Scientriffic (awesome), editor of iSGTW (busy), performer in the Shell Questacon Science Circus (noisy) and mother (yikes).

- As a feature writer, I’ve researched giant wetas, DNA technology, women’s boxing, Japanese paragliding, killer tomatoes, trends in tea…you name it!

- I have a Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology, a Graduate Diploma in Science Communication, and a Masters in Professional Communication.

- My first children’s manuscript, One Weekend with Killiecrankie, won a “Young and Emerging Writer” fellowship at Australia’s Varuna House and went on to win the 2008 Voices on the Coast writing competition, held in Queensland as part of the Voices on the Coast literature festival.

- I work as a freelance editor and writer of magazine features, popular science and childrens books. My first ever article was about ear wax.

Contact me

You can follow me on Twitter or find me on Facebook.

You can contact me on cj@cristyburne.com but be careful with the spelling (people always spell my name wrong: I get Cristy Burns, Christy Burns, Christie Burne, Kristy Burns…you name it!)(Argh: anyone else have this problem?)

Author visits and presentations

I love to visit schools and libraries, present at writing festivals, run creative writing workshops, and talk to book clubs.

I have years of experience and have presented to tens of thousands of children and adults as a professional presenter with the Shell Questacon Science Circus, Questacon Smart Moves and ANU Science on the Move.

I love interactive presentations, work to keep the audience engaged, interested, laughing, grossed out and most of all enthused about reading, writing and creating.

If you are interested in booking a meet-the-author event, creative writing workshop or discussing an idea, please contact cj@cristyburne.com or download my author visit information sheet for more information

If you’d prefer to book through an agency, please contact Creative Net.

This page has the following sub pages.

• Where’s the wasabi?
• Up to your ears in wax?
• Forensic science?
• FAQ