Peta Jinnath Andersen is me, an aspiring children's author and on-request freelance editor.

“Why do I want to be writer?” I ask myself the same question every morning. I don’t keep a journal—I hate them, actually. The one I'm attempting to keep on this page will be an experiment in dedication for me.

Am I unfulfilled? No, not really. True, I haven’t explored the world as much as I’d like, but I’m only 26, so I figure I’ve got some time.

Do I like writing? Sometimes. Not always. Many mornings I stare at the computer screen, skimming Project Gutenberg and wishing I could write as well as the dead authors listed there. But the thing is, even when I don’t feel like writing, I find myself cross-legged in the good chair, fingers moving ten to the dozen. I can’t seem to help it. I’ve tried being a scientist, a personal assistant, an housewife, even a full-time ferret carer. They're each of them quite fun, in their own way (and I'm happy to say I continue to enjoy the latter two), I have always come back to writing. It’s not a matter of want, anymore. It’s a matter of need.

Other things: I have a Bachelor of Science in Physiology and Pharmacology from the University of Queensland, Australia; I love, love, love to yawn; and I consider snow the only bearable part of cold weather.

Born and raised in Australia, I live in Cambridge, Massachusetts. But I manage to get home a couple of times a year.