Catherine Bateson has achieved an outstanding awards trifecta for her novels for young people. She began her writing career as a poet and poetry remains an abiding love. Her first prose novel for young adults, Painted Love Letters was CBCA Book of the Year, Honour Book: Older Readers. Rain May and Captain Daniel, a novel for younger readers, was CBCA Children’s Book of the Year and the winner of the Queensland Premier’s Awards: Best Children’s Book. Catherine teaches professional writing and editing at GippsTAFE, works as a writer-in-schools and runs adult classes on literature at the CAE in Melbourne.