Shelter from the Storm

Penelope Janu is a multi-award-winning Australian author who has published eight novels and three novellas to date. She has a passion for creating stories that explore social and environmental issues, while celebrating Australian characters and communities. Janu's first novel, In at the Deep End, came out in 2017, followed by On the Right Track, On the Same Page, Up on Horseshoe Hill, Starting from Scratch, Clouds on the Horizon, Shelter from the Storm and Sunshine through the Rain, as well as four novellas: The Six Rules of Christmas, The Countdown to Christmas, A Fairytale for Christmas and The Night Before Christmas. Janu lives on the coast in northern Sydney with a distracting husband, a very large dog and six delightful grownup children who come and go.

Clarisse Bonello is a Naarm-based actor, theatre-maker and voice artist. She has worked with Wielding Theatre on Curveball and a solo piece titled An Organised Odyssey. She collaborated with Victorian Theatre Company on the shows For Love Nor Money 2023, St Kilda Tales 2025 and Future Loves Burning/Age of Extremes 2026. Clarisse voiced the BAFTA nominated short animated film Ready for a Baby. She has narrated audiobook titles such as Gone Guru by Nadine Browne, Alyssa J. Montgomery's Hope Creek series and Alli Sinclair's The Cinema at Starlight Creek.