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Antonia was born in Mariannhill, Natal, South Africa, and grew up mostly in Nelson, British Columbia. She has also lived in Zambia and Australia.  

As a child, Antonia enjoyed traveling, playing with dolls and finger puppets (she wrote and staged plays with a friend), reading, swimming, canoeing, and creating concoctions (rarely edible) in her Easy Bake oven. 

Antonia's mother read to her from a young age (Arthurian legends, Rudyard Kipling, and others). She began writing in grade two, for a class assignment. As a child, she submitted a story to a kids' writing contest (it was "How the Grinch Stole Easter"--completely derivative). Favorite books as a child were D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths, a book of Russian fairy tales, the Little House on the Prairie series (out of boredom, she read the entire series seven times), and, later, books by Thomas Costain.  

She is inspired by reading great writing, wanting to figure things out, and wanting to learn more (writing forces her to do research--and retain the information). Her advice for aspiring authors is to read, read, read. And enjoy yourself.  

Among Antonia's favorite writers are Canadians Timothy Findley, Paul Quarrington, Jack Hodgins, Michael Ondaatje, Rohinton Mistry, and M.G. Vassanji; South American writers (including Gabriel Garcia Marquez) who show that you can write about anything; and, in non-fiction, Janet Malcolm and Alexandra Fuller have influenced her.  

The inspiration for Dangerous Crossings (2007) came as she was looking for good stories that readers might not have heard before. Antonia hopes she will be fortunate enough to keep writing. 

In her spare time she enjoys swimming, biking, hiking and camping, photography, and design. She is also involved in various projects run out of her uncle's farm in Zambia (her mother runs an informal NGO there with help from Antonia's sister, and her aunt oversees several programs to help the local people). 

Antonia lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, with her musician husband.