User:Keltham/Draft article Simon Higgins

Simon Higgins
Simon Higgins (born 1958 in England) is an Australian novelist from northern New South Wales, Australia. He writes fiction for children, young adults and adults, often featuring themes of adventure, cross-cultural engagement and elements from historical Japan.

Biography
Simon Higgins emigrated with his family to Australia at the age of five in 1963. Higgins was raised in South Australia. He has been a police officer with the South Australian Police Force, state prosecutor and a private investigator. In 1994 he became a fulltime writer, and soon after relocated to northern New South Wales. Higgins is a student of Iaido, the ancient Japanese martial art of the sword, which dates to the Edo period. He is a member of Seishinkan Iaido in Australia and has competed for Australia in the Japanese Taikai in Kyoto.

Career
Higgins’ early work reflected his experience in law enforcement and criminal investigation. Themes that appear regularly in Higgins’ novels include cross-cultural engagement and environmental sustainability. Tomodachi: The End of the World … Recent novels, including Moondshadow and Eye of the Beast, are strongly influenced by Higgins’ engagement with Japanese history and mythology.

Criticism and Acclaim
In 2008, Higgins was a finalist in the Young Adult category of the Aurealis Awards, which recognise outstanding achievement in Australian science fiction and fantasy writing.