Fiona Kidman (b. 1940) began to write seriously when she was twenty-two, combining her early writing life with motherhood. Later, she worked in radio and television, but is now primarily a writer of fiction. Her novels include A Breed of Women (1979), The Book of Secrets (1987 ), Mandarin Summer (1989) (shortly to be a feature film), True Stars (1990) (written during tenure of the Writer's Fellowship) and Ricochet Baby (1996). Her most recent book is The Best of Fiona Kidman's Short Stories. She has received numerous awards and in 1998 became Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (DNZM).