I was born in Florina in 1974 but didn’t stay there long – at six months of age, I was taken to Australia to live with my adoptive parents, who emigrated from Greece during the 1950s. They had been unable to have their own children until an arrangement was made – my mum’s brother and wife would have a child in Greece for Mum to take to raise in Australia with her husband. So, my mum and dad were actually my aunt and uncle, and received the gift of a lifetime. This was a truth I only found out at age 25 in 1999, and then also learned I had two older brothers in Florina. I have since met them and we are now close, and wrote all about this story in my first book, a 2019 memoir titled Little One (Australia) / Son of Mine (UK). That book began as an award-winning short story in 2008, and is a story I’m now adapting to the screen with acclaimed filmmakers. I have since published three crime novels in a series: The Stoning (2021), The Invisible (2022), and The Pit (2023). These have been published internationally, translated, received awards nominations, and had outstanding reviews across six countries (Australia, UK, New Zealand, Ireland, Germany, USA). I’m currently also adapting these stories to the screen with filmmakers. The Invisible is set in northern Greece, in the Prespa Lakes region that borders Albania and North Macedonia.

I grew up in Canberra, the capital city of Australia, and went to university at The Australian National University (ANU) where I earned three degrees: a Bachelor of Science with Honours 1 specialising in chemistry, a Bachelor of Laws with Honours 1 specialising in criminal law, and a PhD in biomedical sciences. I have also studied at City, University of London, where I completed a Master of Arts (MA) in creative writing. I have worked as a scientist at Stanford University in California and New York University, as a scientific writer at Imperial College London, and completed writing residencies and short courses at The New School in Manhattan and Arvon Foundation in the UK.

As a young child, I was always interested in reading and writing, and found myself writing imaginative stories that grew increasingly longer in length and complexity. I was always encouraged by my teachers to push the boundaries, and also by my parents who valued an education beyond what they could receive in Greece. Such migrants came to Australia for a better life with more opportunities for their children – they loved Greece but the country was decimated after considerable war and conflict during the 1940s. Although I stopped writing creatively between the ages of about 15 and 30 to focus more on academic studies and university, I subsequently reconnected with my creative side and now try to write every day. In addition to novels and scripts, I have published many articles in international mainstream media outlets including The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, The Guardian UK and The Sydney Morning Herald.

Reviewers, agents and interviewers have often commented that one of the most distinctive features of my fiction writing is the incorporation of substantial, real-world themes. The Stoning explored Australia’s policies on asylum seekers, refugees, multiculturalism, and Indigenous communities; The Invisible looked at isolation, concealment from the state, and multi-generational trauma; and The Pit considered diversity, disability, and our dependence on non-renewables. My next book will also raise current issues of social importance taking place across the globe. My hope is that conveying such themes through an engaging story with realistic characters will challenge readers to reflect on current social and environmental issues that might not be within their lived experience or otherwise engage their thoughts. Ideally, my hope is that my writing will help change the way that people see the world, which is what the best art aspires to do.

My crime protagonist is a detective with Greek heritage, who draws from my own life and cultural experiences. In every literary journey, main characters must face both external and internal obstacles, and ideally emerge at the end of the story having undergone a transformation and learned something new about themselves or the world they inhabit. This is something I strive for in every book I write – the challenge is to make this seem organic and believable for readers, and leave them with a satisfying ending that lingers after the last page. Another quality I try to infuse into my stories is diversity and inclusion to ensure it reflects the multi-faceted nature of modern society. Historically, this is something that hasn’t been accurately captured, and is hopefully something I can uniquely contribute.