Dr Debra Adelaide is an author, book reviewer, editor and academic who has published 11 books, including novels, anthologies and reference books on Australian literature. She completed a PhD on Australian women’s writing at the University of Sydney in 1990.

Her two novels, The Hotel Albatross (Vintage: 1995) and Serpent Dust (Vintage: 1998) were published to critical and commercial success; her latest book publication is the anthology Acts of Dog (Vintage: 2003) in which leading Australian and NZ authors have written stories and memoirs on the theme of dogs. Debra’s previous anthologies, which she contributed to as well as editing and introducing, include the bestselling Motherlove books (Random House: 1996; 1997; 1998).

Debra’s reading and writing interests are diverse. For four years she was the ‘In Short’ book reviewer for the Sydney Morning Herald’s weekend books pages section, in which she reviewed five books each week. She has, in addition, written numerous book reviews for other publications, and is still a regular contributor to the national newspaper, The Australian. She is currently a senior lecturer in creative writing at the University of Technology, Sydney, where she teaches in the postgraduate and research creative writing program.

Debra's new novel THE HOUSEHOLD GUIDE TO DYING is to be published later this year by Picador in Australia, HarperCollins in the UK, Penguin in the US and Penguin Canada.