Favel’s birth provided her with a quirky start to life in that her mother received a fine for not voting on an election day in 1974 due to being busy giving birth to Favel. Favel enjoyed writing as a child and even penned a letter to the Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser about Indigenous Australians but was disillusioned when her pencilled letter on butcher’s paper was acknowledged by a standard government response that failed to address her concerns. She started writing short stories for magazines and this prompted her to pursue study in professional writing and editing.

A self-declared late starter to writing, Favel Parrett did not start the craft in earnest until her return to TAFE in her early thirties. During that time she completed and had her novel Past the Shallows published, and this success interrupted her studies. The novel in many ways provides insight into the author, her time spent in Tasmania exploring the beach and surfing giving Favel the understanding and language to articulate the ocean. The book was praised by critics for its impressive description of Tasmania’s landscape in winter.

Favel Parrett was awarded the 2012 Newcomer of the Year Australian Book Industry Award as well as the 2012 Dobbie Literary Award for new women writers. She currently lives in Victoria, Australia, and is working on a new novel.