Bio

Xavier Waterkeyn, born of a Belgian father and Argentinean mother (at least that’s what they told him) on 29 July 1965, is a bestselling author, editor and erstwhile literary agent. Xavier worked in a variety of dead-end jobs, abortive careers and red-herring life paths before stumbling upon his true calling: quantum burlesque lap-dancing in zero-gravity. It didn’t end well, in spite of the encouragement from friends.

Then he stumbled upon his real true calling: storytelling.

Having worked as a documentary director, interviewer, educator, tour guide, actor, manager of a psychic centre, graphic designer, photographer, marketer, bookseller and editor, it became clear that Xavier was not a specialist but just happened to be fantastic at everything — except quantum burlesque, that is. It was probably the zero-gravity thing that did him in. He was also at one point accused of being a “career slut”, which he wholeheartedly confirms.

Xavier has worked in a wide range of genres with twenty titles published in just five years (ten of them ghost written or under a pseudonym). His long-suffering principle publisher New Holland awarded him Most Successful New Author in 2006. But you can’t sit on your laurels, can you? You’re only as good as your last book in this business. Yet he remains one of very few Australian authors to have sold over 2.5 million books. Titles he’s worked on include The Gabriel Method and the hilariously controversial and fatwa-inspiring series of Where’s Bin Laden? picture books.

Xavier has a piggy bank called Egbert who collects his loose change. He also drinks tea, herbal, and he usually lives in the Blue Mountains in Australia. His current missions are to explore the future of storytelling and to get more boys and men reading.