Shirley Marr is an Australian author of contemporary Young Adult fiction who specialises in “writing about and for Little Lady Macbeths”. She arrived on the scene in 2010 when her manuscript was plucked out of a slush pile and published by Black Dog Books (now an imprint of Walker Books). The resulting novel, Fury, is a dark and funny murder story narrated by a petulant sixteen-year-old mean girl and has been described as “like Heathers as directed by Sofia Coppola” and developed a cult following.

Her difficult second novel, Preloved, was published in 2012 and is a paranormal love story for girls who don’t like paranormal love stories. It marks a departure from her dark roots and showcases the “B Side” of Shirley – which is closer to her own personality – softer, fresher and more youthful.

Shirley is currently working on her third untitled novel, which promises a return to bad girls, drama, revenge and intrigue. She wouldn’t mind if she alternated between light & dark with each subsequent novel, ‘cos just like chocolate, she likes both.

She is the only person she knows who has ever been kicked out of a bookstore for disruptive behaviour.