Allison Rushby, the daughter of an author, was raised on a steady diet of classic English literature. Some of her favourite books, re-read countless dog-eared times, include Rumer Godden's The Dolls' House, Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden, Dodie Smith's I Capture the Castle and Noel Streatfield's "Shoes" series. She has long been a fan of cities with long, winding histories, wild, overgrown cemeteries, red brick Victorian museums, foxes and ivy. She prefers to write with a cup of Darjeeling tea by her side and a Devon Rex cat curled up in her lap.

Her work includes The Turnkey of Highgate Cemetery; When This Bell Rings (a Notable in the CBCA Awards); and The Mulberry Tree, which was shortlisted for the West Australia Young Readers' Book Award.
Allison lives in Queensland, Australia, and frequently visits her extended family in the UK.