Asphyxia (author) facts for kids

Asphyxia is a talented Australian artist, writer, and public speaker. She is also an activist and a puppeteer. Asphyxia is deaf. She wrote the popular book Future Girl, also known as The Words in My Hands in North America. This book won the Readings YA Book Award in 2021. Many other groups also praised the book. For example, Kirkus chose it as a top young adult (YA) fiction book for 2021. The Guardian listed it as one of the best Australian books of 2020. Asphyxia is now working with Orange Entertainment Co to turn her book into a movie or TV show.

Before becoming a famous author, Asphyxia was a puppeteer. She also wrote the children's book series called The Grimstones. This series won an award for its great design in 2013.

About Asphyxia

Early Life and Dreams

Asphyxia was born in Melbourne, Australia. She was the second oldest of eight children. One of her brothers gave her the nickname "Asphyxia" when she was a teenager. From a young age, she loved to create. She would make up magical worlds with mystical creatures. Her younger brothers, sisters, and cousins would join her in these imaginary adventures.

Asphyxia went to a school for hearing students. She did not learn Auslan (Australian Sign Language) until she was 18. Her parents wanted her to have a good education. They felt that schools for deaf students at the time were not good enough.

When she was a child, Asphyxia dreamed of becoming a ballerina. But her deafness made this dream hard to achieve. The Australian Ballet School did not accept her because she was deaf. Instead, after school, she joined the circus. She trained with Circus Oz. She became good at trapeze and hula-hoops. In the circus, she learned that her deafness could be a strength. She found ways to use it in her performances. For example, she would perform "signing karaoke." This was a big hit with her audiences.

From Circus to Puppetry

Asphyxia was a circus performer for ten years. Then, she discovered puppetry. She met Sergio Barrio, a master puppeteer, while touring overseas. She was so impressed that she asked him to teach her. She quickly fell in love with puppetry. She learned to make her own puppets and their stages. After trying different ideas, she created a spooky family of puppets called "The Grimstones."

Asphyxia then left the circus. She traveled around Australia, performing with her puppets. Her shows were very popular. Both children and adults loved them.

Becoming a Published Author

After touring with her puppet family for a few years, Asphyxia received an exciting call. The publishers Allen & Unwin thought "The Grimstones" would make a great book series. Asphyxia loved this idea. She had always wanted to be an author. When she was 12, she even won first place in a writing contest.

In February 2012, she published the first book in The Grimstones series, called Hatched. Three more books quickly followed: Mortimer Revealed (April 2012), Whirlwind (December 2012), and Music School (December 2013). Her book Future Girl, released in August 2020, won the 2021 Readings Young Adult Book Prize.

Life Today

For 20 years, Asphyxia lived in a small house in Melbourne. She built this house herself when she was only 22. She lived there with her partner and son. Now, she lives on a small farm in Northern New South Wales, Australia. She enjoys growing food and making art. She shares her paintings and other creative projects on her blog.

Online Resources

Asphyxia's website offers helpful resources for everyone. It includes a free Auslan course. Auslan is Australian Sign Language. She also created a music course specifically for Deaf people.