About the Author

Mary-Lou Stephens was born in Tasmania, studied acting at The Victorian College of the Arts and played in bands in Melbourne, Hobart and Sydney. Eventually she got a proper job - in radio, where she was a presenter and music director, first with commercial radio and then with the ABC.

She received rave reviews for her memoir Sex, Drugs and Meditation (2013), the true story of how meditation changed her life, saved her job and helped her find a husband. The Australian called her debut novel, The Last of the Apple Blossom (2021), 'an outstanding historical novel about women and the secrets and burdens they carry'. She is also the author of bestselling novels The Chocolate Factory (2024), The Jam Maker (2025) and The Hobart Hotel (2026).

Mary-Lou has worked and played all over Australia. Now she travels the world with her husband, slowly, and writes, mostly.


Photo Credit: Jessica Hinchliffe