Alan Duff was born in Rotorua in 1950. He has published six previous novels (Once Were Warriors, One Night out Stealing, What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?, Both Sides of the Moon, Szabad and Jake's Long Shadow), a novella (State Ward), several children's books and three non-fiction works. Once Were Warriors won the Pen Best First Book for Fiction Award and along with What Becomes of the Broken Hearted? was made into an internationally acclaimed film for which he wrote the original screenplay.