roxborogh's earlier works contain much biographical material. many of the situations her characters find themselves dealing with are sourced from specific events in her own life. for example, the car accident jeremy suffered in runaway is exactly what she experienced. in third degree, a story about a 19-year-old university student ruth, memories of a 10-year-old self are lifted straight from the memories of the time roxborogh ran into her stepfather who was carrying a pot of boiling hot water. she was scalded very badly and suffered third degree burns. during her time in hospital she was not just scarred physically but was also subjected to a medical experiment.