Paula Hayes is an Australian writer who enjoys writing magical realism for young people. This means she is good at making strange stuff up and setting it in real life. Her first novel, Lily in the Mirror, was a CBCA Notable in 2017. She has four adult kids, two grandkids and has worked in education which gives her an endless spring of inspiration for stories for young people. In a parallel universe she studied at UWA but now writes from a desk in her pantry. This has its pros and cons. Paula is passionate about children’s literature and literacy and has a foot in each camp.