The Forests of Silence

Emily Rodda's first book, Something Special, was published in 1984. It marked the beginning of a career that has seen her become one of the most successful, prolific and versatile writers in Australia. Since then, Emily has written or co-authored more than 90 books for children. Her children's books range from picture books to YA novels, and include the award-winning Rowan of Rin series as well as the outstandingly successful Deltora Quest fantasy series. A full-time author since 1994, Emily has won the Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year award a record five times and seems to instinctively know what children want to read. A former editor of The Women's Weekly, Emily is also the bestselling author of adult mysteries under her own name of Jennifer Rowe.

Ronald Norman Haddrick MBE (born 9 April 1929) is an Australian theatre, film and voice actor. Haddrick first appeared on the stage in 1946 at the Adelaide Tivoli Theatre. Later, he was invited to join the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre (now the Royal Shakespeare Company). Upon his return to Sydney, there followed roles with the Trust Players, and when the Old Tote Theatre Company formed, Ron played in over forty productions. He has since gone on to film parts and award-winning success in film and theatre.