Tara June Winch was born in Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia on 2 December 1983.

[1][2] Her father is from the Wiradjuri nation in western New South Wales, and she grew up in the coastal area of Woonona within the Wollongong region.

The judges for The Sydney Morning Herald Best Young Novelists award wrote that the book "is distinguished by its natural grace and vivid language" and that "as with many first books it deals with issues of family, growing up and stepping into the world.

But it strives to connect these experiences to broader social issues, though never in a didactic fashion".

[5] In 2008 the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative supported her mentorship under Nobel Prize-winning author Wole Soyinka.