Amanda Hickie has always been interested in science, literature and ethical questions, annoying her scripture teacher at the age of ten by asking if it was immoral to lie to a murderer. Despite a passion for writing, she studied Computer Science — but she quickly recovered.

A change of lifestyle when she and her family moved to Canada resulted in her first novel, After Zoe. Living down the road from the SARS outbreak also provided the seed for An Ordinary Epidemic.

Amanda lives a pleasant stroll from Coogee Beach in Sydney with her two computer-oriented sons and husband and two non-computer-oriented cats.