Kelly Gardiner was born and grew up in Melbourne but has later lived on an island in New Zealand's Hauraki Gulf. She has been a writer and editor for many years and her poems have been published in journals including Southerly and Going Down Swinging. She has a degree in professional writing and editing and a Master of Arts (Literature).
Her most recent novel for adults is Goddess (historical fiction based on the life of Mademoiselle de Maupin, published in 2014) and her most recent work for younger readers is The Firewatcher Chronicles (2018-2021).