Leone Mary Britt was born in Orange, central western New South Wales, Australia, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from Charles Sturt University even thoug...view moreLeone Mary Britt was born in Orange, central western New South Wales, Australia, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from Charles Sturt University even though she left school aged 14. She has had two marriages, four beautiful and talented sons (one now deceased) and worked at various jobs including six years at Australian Associated Press. Leone trained as a broadcast officer at 2CR, the ABC radio station in Orange when she was known as Leone Marten. She has had short stories published in the literary magazines Meanjin and Quadrant and had poetry published in The Australian and both the Newcastle and Sydney Morning Heralds and won two national poetry prizes. An earlier manuscript of The Telling Wall was chosen in the long shortlist of 30 in the Varuna Award for Manuscript Development circa 2001.view less