Cassie Hart (Kai Tahu) is a writer of speculative fiction. Her short stories have appeared in several award-winning anthologies, and she was a finalist for both the Sir Julius Vogel and Australian Shadow Awards. In 2018, Cassie took part in the Te Papa Tupu writing programme. A fan of coffee, cats and zombies, Cassie lives in Taranaki. Butcherbird is her first novel.