Belinda Murrell

Belinda Murrell is an Australian writer who was born and grew up on the North Shore in Sydney, Australia.

She was a very enthusiastic reader, loving the escape into other worlds such as the C S Lewis Narnia series, Enid Blyton’s Famous Five and Tolkein’s The Hobbit. She used to dress up as book characters with her sister Kate (Forsyth) now also an acclaimed children’s author. Her brother, Nick Humphrey, is also an author.

Belinda’s first stories were written in an exercise book around seven to eight years old.. Although as a child her ambition was to be a vet, like her Dad, as an adult she worked as a travel journalist, technical writer and public relations consultant. She returned to storytelling when her own 3 children were young, inventing the type of stories they loved, involving puzzles, codes, magic, mystery and adventure. This became the Sun Sword Trilogy and she has gone on to write over 30 books since then. The time-slip adventures, starting with The Locket of Dreams, are based on jewellery because her grandmother used to tell her stories linked to items of her own jewellery. She also has the Lulu Bell series for younger readers about growing up in a vet hospital and Pippa’s Island, about starting a new life on a tropical island.

Her works are bestselling, internationally published and translated into several different languages. She has been recognised by several different awards including the KOALAs (Kids Own Australia Literature Award) and YABBAs (Young Australia Best Book Awards).

Belinda is often involved in events promoting children’s literacy for the Childrens Book Council of Australia and is an Author Ambassador for Books in Homes and Room to Read.

Although well-travelled, she still lives in Sydney’s North Shore with her husband Rob, three children Nick Emily and Lachlan and her dog Rosie.