Imperfect Creatures is Thomas J. Maine's first book, which he began writing during high school, and continued to develop for ten years throughout his university career. Now 24, he has studied writing and psychology, writing a thesis and receiving honours for the latter. During his time in the University of Melbourne, he was an editor and project manager for the student magazine TurnItIn. Becoming off-put by the quality of his high school drafts, in 2019 Maine began a ground up rework of the story. Utilising his experiences in editing, creating short stories, scripts, and films, and psychology training, he transformed Imperfect Creatures into a more mature story with nuanced characters able to address themes of ideology, hope, and mental illness.