James Moloney has written more than thirty books for children and young adults. Dougy and its companion novel, Gracey, were Honour Books in the Children's Book Council of Australia awards and the third title in this trilogy, Angela, gained an Honourable Mention in the UNESCO Prize for Children's Literature in the Service of Tolerance and Peace. A Bridge to Wiseman's Cove won the CBCA Book of the Year Award in 1997.

A former teacher and librarian, James was born in Sydney but later moved to Brisbane where he now lives with his wife, Kate, and their three children.