A.K. Wrox
A.K. Wrox – the author – was created to take the blame for all the things that Amanda Wrangles and Kylie Fox are too shy to admit to writing themselves. That may or may not include the Arrabella Candellarbra four-book trilogy – written entirely on a private Facebook page – the first work attributed to A.K. Wrox. Chances are, however, given all the midnight phone calls and chat sessions, that A.K. may be needed again. Soon.
A.K. Wrox is variously known as Kylie Fox, Amanda Wrangles Mum, Hey-You or, most commonly: That Evil Wench. When they’re not masquerading as A.K.– or relishing their most important work as Mums – Amanda and Kylie have their individual writing projects which are worlds away (quite literally) from the magical, humorous and often ridiculous world of Arrabella and her friends.
Amanda Wrangles
Growing up in a home where reading books under the covers by torchlight, hours after bedtime, was encouraged, could only lead to one thing for Amanda: a love affair with characters, stories and imagined worlds.
Writing and illustrating home-made books gave way to other art forms, and after leaving school she began an art and design course. A passion for slapping oils on canvas was replaced by a passion for another kind of colour, when Amanda began a sixteen year hairdressing career. Between haircuts and colours, she co-owned a SCUBA diving business with her husband, and became a qualified book-binder as well as the mother of three boys. But always, throughout those years, there was a novel of some kind stuffed firmly into the baby-bag… usually a Stephen King, Anne Rice or Isobelle Carmody.
Then – along with kindred-book-loving-spirit, Kylie Fox – Amanda joined a writing class a few years ago – and finally realised she could do more than just dream about other people’s made-up worlds – she could create her own.
A member of Sisters in Crime Australia, Amanda won first place in the group’s annual short story competition, The Scarlet Stiletto Awards. She followed her 2009 win with a short-listing in 2010. Her winning story, ‘Persia Bloom’ appears in the Scarlet Stiletto: The Second Cut anthology.
Amanda reviews and blogs for two of author Marianne De Pierres’ websites, Burn Bright and Tara Sharp.
She is currently working on two novels: a YA urban fantasy set in Melbourne, and a paranormal crime novel starring Persia Bloom.
Kylie Fox
Kylie grew up on a diet of horror books and movies, a fascination for crime and killers; and delighting in all that was dark and macabre. She couldn’t, however, watch the news – that would give her nightmares!
It’s lucky she’s had a lifelong passion was for story writing – or who knows where all that criminal knowledge would have gotten her?
Until a few years ago, Kylie thought that writing was something she could only do as a hobby – real authors lived in some mystical castle, right? Then, with Amanda Wrangles, she joined a writing class and discovered that authors are actually real (almost normal) people and that maybe, just maybe, she could be one too.
Kylie is now a member of Sisters in Crime Australia, and took home the Dorothy Porter Award in 2010 for the group’s annual crime writing competition, the Scarlet Stiletto Awards for her story 'Poppies'. The story appears in the Scarlet Stiletto: The Second Cut anthology.
She also manages the website for Marianne Delacourt’s Tara Sharp series and is a qualified proofreader and editor.
Kylie is currently working on three novels: a thriller with kickarse assassin Kat Delaney; a not-quite-zombie psychological thriller; and a YA urban fantasy.