Denika Mead lives in Wellington, New Zealand. She is 17 and has an unrelenting passion for fantasy and dystopian writing. Denika has loved writing ever since she could hold a pencil in her hand. She writes at her desk, staring out the window, imagining elves jumping through the trees and bush-clad hills.

​She published her debut novel Royal Orchid, The Death-Hunters, in October 2019 when she was 15. The prequel to Royal Orchid, Into the Flames and the next book in the series The Ghost Warriors, have both been released in 2020.

​​Over the past few years, she has won and been a finalist in several youth writing competitions, including being a two-time finalist in the New Zealand Youth Laurate award 2018. Denika was a finalist in the Best New Talent category for the Sir Julius Vogel Awards in 2020.​

When she is not writing, imagining dragon adventures or immersed in her latest reading escapade, you may find her occasionally contemplating NCEA school assessments.