Being the eldest, and creative from a young age, she took it upon herself to create magical words of mystical creatures in which she enrolled her younger siblings and cousins to be a part.
She then left the circus to travel around Australia performing with her puppets, which was a big success, and captivated children and adults alike.
[15] After a couple of years of touring with her puppet family, Asphyxia got a call from the publishers Allen & Unwin, who told her that they thought that The Grimstones would make a great book.
She embraced the idea, as she had always had aspirations to be an author, entering her first book when she was 12 in the St Kilda Writer's Festival where it won first place.
[19] For 20 years, Asphyxia lived in a small cottage in inner city Melbourne which she built herself when she was just 22,[20] with her partner and son.