Anna Gowan was born in Auckland to a family fond of tall stories.  A stint at John Marsden’s writing camp in Australia cemented Anna’s passion for writing. She began writing her first novel for children, Hollie Chips, during a seven-month working holiday in Canada. In 2009, Anna won the Storylines Tom Fitzgibbon Award for Hollie Chips. The novel was published by Scholastic in March 2010.

Anna is influenced by a cross-section of writers: Roald Dahl, John Marsden, Judy Blume and her New Zealand Society of Authors mentor, William Taylor.

Anna lives in Auckland and is currently working on a novel for teenagers.