Annaleise Byrd grew up on a farm in Queensland, ignoring most farm-related pursuits in favour of reading books. She then spent nine years in England and Canada, neglecting a variety of jobs in favour of reading books. Eventually, she realised the best way to get away with this was to become an author.
Annaleise now writes funny books for kids and lives in Brisbane with her husband, two young sons and rescue greyhound. Her debut middle grade novel, Losing the Plot, was published by Walker Books Australia in March 2024. It was followed by a sequel, Down the Plot Hole, in April 2025, along with her debut picture book, You Are Not a Pup!, with Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing.
Annaleise works part-time for the Ipswich District Teacher-Librarian Network, where she is part of the editing team behind their beloved annual Book Week publication. She is a Readers Cup State Finals judge, a judge for the Kids’ Cancer Project’s Write a Book in a Day fundraiser, and a volunteer book reviewer for StoryLinks. She presents regularly in schools and loves getting kids excited about books and storytelling!
