Kate Grenville is one of Australia's most celebrated authors. Her bestselling novels, which have won many awards and have been published around the world, include The Secret River , which won the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize; Lilian's Story ; The Idea of Perfection , which won the Orange Prize for Fiction; and The Lieutenant . She is also the author of Searching for The Secret River , the story behind the bestselling novel. Kate Grenville's convict ancestor inspired The Secret River , and Sarah Thornhill also has its beginnings in her family history. Along with The Lieutenant , these three novels form a loose trilogy about colonial Australia. www.kategrenville.com.