Growing up with her head in the books of esteemed Australian authors like John Marsden and Markus Zoosak, Simone was a runner-up in several writing competitions before winning the Slade Literary Award in Year 10 for her short story, 'The Big Game.' The story became a short film, featuring in the Melbourne International Film Festival (2014).In addition to her love for writing, Simone has a passion for the integral development of children. After graduating from the University of Melbourne, Simone began teaching at an inner-city primary school. She works to promote kindness as a core strength in her students and sees literacy skills and quality children's literature as key elements for this.