Daughter of Robert and Claire Brooks, Kirsty was born in Whyalla, but her family moved to Adelaide when she was four years old. She went to the Wilderness School in Medindie. A freelance writer and editor, Kirsty Brooks has a BA (Journalism) from the University of Adelaide (1994) and an Advanced Diploma of Arts (Professional Writing) from the Adelaide Institute of TAFE (1999). In 1994 she was a trainee editor with Era Publications and in 1995 she worked for Autopsy Press as co-author of their youth guide and its associated website. From 1992-6 she was arts and music writer for dB Magazine, and she has also written for On The Street, Orb Magazine and The Republican. From 1995-9 she reviewed sites for Netsurfer Digest e-zine (US) and in 1999 reviewed books for Netsurfer Books e-zine. In 1996-7 she received a grant from the SA Youth Arts Board. In 1999 she was editor and press advisor for Popgun Graphics, administrative assistant and assessor for Driftwood Manuscripts and office administrator and editor for The South Australian Writers' Centre. She was guest speaker at the "Lighting the Fuse: Writing for Young and Old" conference at the University of Adelaide for the Association of Australian Writing Programs, and the Australian Chapter of the Romance Writers of America meeting, both in 1998. She has read at Writers' Caf and Fest West (1999) . Sean Williams, her partner, is an internationally published Science Fiction writer.