About Me
I was born in England and immigrated to the USA as a teenager. I then worked in both Asia and Africa before settling in Australia, where my first Aussie job took me north to the Torres Strait Islands. It was there that I met my husband, Peter, and together we settled on the Gold Coast to raise our 2 daughters.
Before becoming an elected representative on the City of Gold Coast Council in 2005, I held a variety of interesting jobs including in the arts, events management and markets, retail and restaurants. As well, I worked in the areas of public health education, teaching and community development. I had never envisaged becoming involved in local politics, however that changed suddenly when my sister in law, Sue Robbins, who held the position of Gold Coast City Council Division 14 councillor prior to me, died of a heart attack in 2004.
I was asked by many of Sue’s supporters to run for council and took up the challenge (knowing full well the level of work and commitment required to fill such a role). I was elected and was a councillor until March of 2016, when I did not seek re-election.
Since I retired from public life I have been hanging out in the beautiful Tallebudgera Valley, listening to birdsong and writing crime novels that incorporate wry observations about the political process and how easily it can be perverted for personal gain.
Being a local government councillor allowed me privileged access to the lives or ordinary Australian folk and I have incorporated this perspective into my novels. Protagonist Jenny Burling is as rough as she is rude, but she gets the job done and for that reason, readers love her.
I have two novels now waiting in the wings to be published. I hope to bring out
Murder in the Mangroves in early 2024 and
Bodies in the Bush soon after.
Chris Robbins
info@chrisrobbins.id.au