Cirrus@Austlit

James Moloney was born in 1954 in Sydney, but grew up and was educated in Brisbane. Moloney completed his primary school teacher training at Mt Gravatt Teachers College (subsequently part of Griffith University), and holds a degree in educational studies, and diplomas in teacher-librarianship and computer education. He has taught in a number of Queensland State Schools, and from 1983 to 1998 worked as a teacher-librarian at Brisbane's Marist College, Ashgrove. He resigned from teaching in 1998 in order to write full-time.

Moloney considers himself 'a person with a bit of a need to write'. The spark for his writing career was a single unexpected event in November 1976. As a first-year primary school teacher, he was transferred to Cunnamulla, in the far West of Queensland. 'There he spent the next two years absorbed in the history, culture and community of the pastoral town and its district. It was a place rich in inspiration for him' (Steinberger, Kevin, 1994) and resulted in three novels: Crossfire, Dougy, and Gracey.

He published his first book, Crossfire, in 1992 with The University of Queensland. It won the 1993 Family Award for Children's Literature and it was also listed in Children's Book Council of Australia, Notable Books 1993. The success continued with his second novel Dougy and sequel Gracy published in 1993, which explored race relations, again showing his ability to explore the social dimensions of our society. Both novels received a number of awards in 1994 and 1995, including Family Awards for Children's Literature, Australian Human Rights Awards - Certificate of Commendation in Children's Literature category, Multicultural Children's Literature Award - Senior Section, Honour Book CBC Children's Book of the Year Awards, and a shortlisting for the Children's Book Council of Australia awards.

In 1996, Moloney wrote his first novel for younger readers, Swashbuckler, winning the Children's Book Council of Australia Book Award for Younger Readers. Some of his more recent novels include The House on River Terrace (1995), Buzzard Breath and Brains (1998), Angela (1998), The Snake Man (1999), Touch Me (2000), and Blue Hair Day (2000).

Since 2010, Moloney has published the fantasy trilogy Silvermay Hawker and standalone historical fantasy Disappearing Act, as well as historical children's fiction.

Moloney's works have been taught in universities across Australia, and among the awards for individual works, he also holds the Centenary Medal for services to Australian society and literature.