Burke trained as a nurse at the
Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and later specialised in
oncology. In 2000, she took a creative writing course. After doing her course, she went to
Sydney University with fellow Australian writer
Libby Gleeson to take another writing course. Her first novel was
White Lies, which was published in 2002 with her mentor as
Gary Crew. This book was made CBCA Notable Book for 2003.
The Red Cardigan published 2004 was also a CBCA Notable Book as well as translated into Dutch and Swedish editions.
Nine Letters Long, the sequel to
The Red Cardigan was highly commended for the 2005
Aurealis Award for best horror novel, and
The Story of Tom Brennan was awarded the 2006 Book of the Year for Older Readers by the
Children's Book Council of Australia, and shortlisted for The Children's Peace Prize for Literature. It is on the current NSW
Higher School Certificate prescriptions list as well as studied widely throughout Australia.
Pig Boy was made a CBCA Notable Book for 2012 as well as an inclusion in the White Ravens Catalogue for Outstanding International Books. Burke's 10th novel
The Things We Promise has been released in Australia, NZ and in the UK in 2017. ==Bibliography==