Blake Polden lives in Tasmania, Australia, and writes about found family, chaotic magic, and the general inconvenience of both showing up at once.

He's the author of the Sunnywood House series, including the newest instalment, Final Notice. His debut, The Strangest Criminals, became a Booktopia bestseller. Carnegie-longlisted author Wren James has called his work "funny, high-octane, and character-driven" and named him "a worthy successor to Rivers of London and Terry Pratchett" — which Blake has not stopped mentioning since.

Once an avid traveller, Blake now does most of his exploring on the page. When he's not writing, he throws pots (the ceramic kind, not the dramatic kind — though with his characters, you never quite know) and is professionally outranked in his household by Kip, a border collie with strong opinions and no patience for deadlines.