**Hildegunn Hodne**, originally from Norway, now calls Tasmania home. She works as a freelance illustrator, writer and portrait artist with studio space in the small village of Chudleigh, Northern Tasmania. To ensure she continues to encounter spiders and local wildlife she also works as a gardener. _Spider Stories: My Journey from Phobia to Fascination_ is her first book. She’s currently working on a new book project, focusing on birds and travels.