Scott Westerfeld is a Texan-born science fiction writer who divides his time between New York City and Sydney. He graduated with a Vassar Philosophy BA in 1985 and undertook graduate work in Performance Studies at New York University 1987-8. Over the years he has worked variously as a factory worker, substitute teacher, textbook editor, software designer and a ghost writer. Westerfeld married writer Justine Larbalestier in 2001, after which he divided his time between Australia and the United States. More recently, he has collaborated with Australian authors Margo Lanagan and Deborah Biancotti in a young-adult speculative-fiction series.