Gillian Mears Gillian Mears grew up in the northern New South Wales town of Grafton. Acclaim came early, with her short-story collections and novels winning major prizes. Her first novel, The Mint Lawn (1991), won the 1990 The Austrlian/Vogel's Literary Award. Gillian's books include Ride a Cock Horse (1988), The Grass Sister (1995) and A Map of the Gardens (2002), which won the 2003 Steele Rudd Australian Short Story Award.

Her eagerly awaited third novel, Foal's Bread, was published by Allen & Unwin in 2011. It won The Prime Minister's Award for Fiction, The Age Book of the Year for Fiction and the ALS Gold Medal, all awarded in 2012. It was shortlisted for The Indie Awards (2012), the Barbara Jefferis Award (2012), the Miles Franklin Literary Award (2012) and the ABIA (Australian Book Industry Awards) Book of the Year (2012). Her children's story, The Cat With the Coloured Tail, was published by Walker Books Australia.

Gillian died at home in Grafton on 16 May 2016. She is sorely missed and remembered with loving gratitude. Read More Read Less