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Ann Coburn
Ann Coburn lives in Berwick-upon-Tweed in Northumberland, and her first novel, The Granite Beast, came out in 1992. She’s now onto her eighth book, Glint, which was published in March 2005. Ann has ghost-written a number of other books and is a playwright and screenwriter too (she has written for The Bill!) She is also working on a series of novels for younger readers aged 7-9, called Dream Team. |
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Introducing Darren Shan...
Darren Shan's real name is Darren O'Shaughnessy. He was born in London but moved to Ireland at the age of 6 and has lived there ever since. He studied Sociology and English at university, and worked for a cable TV company before starting to write full-time. But he had been writing for many years prior to this, buying his first typewriter at the age of 14 and getting his first taste of success as a runner-up in a script-writing competition when he was 15.
Darren completed his first novel at the age of 17, and though it was never published, he continued writing, mainly adult novels. His first two published novels were for adults and didn't do much, but hisbig break came when a children's book he was writing for fun ,'Cirque du Freak', was published to huge success! |
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Frank Cottrell-Boyce
Frank Cottrell-Boyce might seem like a new name in young people's literature, but the Liverpudlian has been plying his trade for a while. He was inspired by his English teacher Mr Biggs, and for a number of years was Mr Bigg's Punch and Judy assistant!
He was a writer on 'Coronation Street' before writing his first screenplay for the film 'Welcome to Sarajevo'. Other films followed, including 'Hilary and Jackie' (for which Frank was nominated for a BAFTA), '24 Hour Party People' and 'Code 46'. His first novel was 'Millions', about two young boys who have to spend £1million before Britain joins the Euro. Then, out of the blue, Frank was asked by director Danny Boyle to write a screenplay for a film version! The film was released earlier in 2005 to great reviews, and now Frank is celebrating the launch of his follow-up novel, 'Framed'. He lives on Merseyside with his wife and 7 - yes, seven! - kids. |
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Kitty Fitzgerald
If you haven't yet heard of Kitty Fitzgerald, it should only be a matter of time. Her debut teenage novel, 'Pigtopia', has just been published by Faber. It concerns a young girl called Holly, and her relationship with a local outcast with physical deformities. The novel is described as 'a story of violence and foreboding, but also one of compassion and the redemptive power of friendship'. Intrigued?
Well, read on to find out more.
Kitty was born in Ireland, but now lives in Newcastle upon Tyne. In a varied career, she has been a waitress, shop assistant and buttermaid in Devon - it was while doing the latter that she first developed an affection for pigs! She has now adopted a wild boar called Millie, who lives at Bede's World Museum of Medieval Northumberland. |
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David Almond
David Almond is one of the UK's best-loved children's writers. Most of his stories are based in or inspired by his native North East, and they have won him armfuls of awards. He is a twice winner of the prestigious Whitbread Children's Book Award, and he's also picked up the Carnegie Medal and the Smarties Gold Award.
David was born and brought up in Felling-on-Tyne, which used to be a mining town, and he always knew that he wanted to be a writer. Before writing full time, he worked as a hotel porter, a postman and a teacher. He also took the unusual path of living in a commune while he wrote short stories. His first novel, Skellig, was published in 1998 and it's been all uphill from there... |
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Geraldine McCaughrean
Geraldine McCaughrean has been writing for children and young adults for over 20 years, and she's won almost every prize there is to win! Writing became a hobby while she was travelling to and from work, but with over 100 books under her belt, Geraldine has been devoted entirely to writing for a long time now. Some of her most famous novels include 'Kite Rider' 'Not the End of the World' and 'Smile', and she's a three-time winner of the prestigious Whitbread Children's Book Award. Her most recent novel, 'The White Darkness' is about Sym and her mysterious connection to Captain Oates, the hero of Scott's Antarctic expedition. Geraldine is married with a teenage daughter, and a Golden Retriever called Daisy (who apparently eats her work!) |
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Marianne Curley
Marianne Curley was born in New South Wales, Australia and lived on the family farm until it was washed away by a flood!
Reading was always her favourite hobby growing up, and she spent lots of time in the school library. At the age of 9 she became a school librarian!
She has worked as a legal secretary and an adult education teacher, and tried several different writing genres before she settled on writing for young adults.
Marianne is married and has 3 teenage children, who act as her inspiration and also her fiercest critics! |
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Celia Rees
Celia Rees is the author of the hugely successful 'Witchchild' and 'Sorceress' novels. She was born in Solihull and now lives in Leamington Spa with her husband and teenage daughter. She was an English teacher for many years, which is when she started to write. Her first book for teenagers, Every Step You Take, was published in 1993. She has been writing full time since 1997, and you can contact her via her website - www.celiarees.com |
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Paul Magrs
Paul Magrs was born in Jarrow, Tyne & Wear, and eventually went to university to study English in Lancaster. He has been writing professionally since 1993 and is now the Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at Manchester Metropolitan University. He has written novels for both adults and teenagers, and his latest book is 'Exchange', about a 16 year old boy who discovers an unusual bookshop - the Great Big Book Exchange. If you're a Doctor Who fan, you may also know Paul as a contributor to the Doctor Who series of novels, including 'The Stones of Venice' and 'Excelsis Dawn'.... |
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Thomas Reed
Thomas Reed is 15 years old and lives in Rowlands Gill, Tyne & Wear. He has been writing since he was 6 years old, but his work really took off when he started attending writing workshops at the age of 12.
His winning submission, a poetry collection entitled 'The Other Level', is a piece of work he started in October 2005. He has enjoyed writing it because it explores all of the things he has wanted to explore - the poems are inspired by someone he knows, something he has experienced, or just random thoughts that have come to him during a maths lesson!
Thomas hopes to send 'The Other Level' to publishers, once it is completed. Thomas' path to fame starts here! |
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Meg Cabot
Meg Cabot is the hugely successful author of the 'Princess Diaries' and 'All-American Girl' series, as well as numerous other sparky and original novels for teenage girls and adults alike. Meg was born in Bloomington, Indiana, and her first ambition was to be an illustrator. When that didn't work out, she started writing novels at the weekend (and when her boss wasn't looking) - her first book, a historical romance novel, was written under a pseudonym. Several of her books have been turned into films or TV series in the USA.
Meg now lives in New York City with her husband and cat, Henrietta, who only has one eye...
Her latest novel, 'Size 12 is Not Fat' is out in the UK this month - and you can win a copy in our WordMavericks Meg Cabot Prize Draw. |
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Eva Ibbotson
Eva Ibbotson was born Maria Charlotte Michelle Wiesner in Vienna, in 1925. Her mother was a playwright and her father was a scientist; Eva moved between her parents while she was growing up. When the Nazis siezed power in Austria, she moved to London with her father and attended boarding school in England. She followed her father into science, studying Physiology in London. She started off by writing short stories, and didn't write her first novel until she was over 40. Eva met Alan Ibbotson at Cambridge University, and they married and had four children together. She now lives in the North East of England and continues to write at the fantastic age of 81! |
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Trudi Canavan
Top-selling fantasy author Trudi Canavan was born in Melbourne, Australia, where her creative passions were art, music and writing. Her first job was for Lonely Planet travel guides, where she worked as a designer, illustrator and cartographer (the person who draws all the maps!) After going freelance, Trudi also started working as art editor for an Australian fantasy and sci-fi magazine called 'Aurealis' - which helped to inspire her writing. 'The Black Magician Trilogy' was bought by HarperCollins, and the first book in the series - 'The Magicians' Guild' was published in 2001. From that point there was no stopping her, and it wasn't long before Trudi became a best-selling author in the UK and the USA, as well as in her native country. She is now working on another trilogy entitled 'Age of the Five'....
(Thanks to Trudi's website, and photographer Paul Ewins, for the pic of Trudi) |
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Linda Newbery
Linda Newbery is the author of Carnegie Medal-nominated novels, 'Sisterland' and 'The Shell House'. Her first book, 'Run with the Hare', was published by HarperCollins in 1988, while Linda was working as an English teacher. She eventually gave up the day job and devoted her efforts to writing full time. She write for both teenagers and younger children, and her latest novel, 'Set in Stone', was published in May this year. Read on to find out about Linda's writing life!
(Thanks to www.lindanewbery.com) |
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Theresa Tomlinson
Theresa Tomlinson grew up in Whitby, a place she revisits in her writing, and now lives in Sheffield with her husband, Tom, and her cat, Mewsli.
Theresa's dad was a vicar, and she was very inspired by her childhood surroundings. As a child she dreading having to write stories at school, but loved reading, dance and art.
She went to art college for two years and then took a few temporary jobs, which included painting Walt Disney plaster models, guiding people around stately homes and working in a hospital laundry. She then trained as a primary school teacher, which she did until she started a family.
It was her family who actually inspired Theresa to write - she started to create little picture books for them, and discovered how much she enjoyed it. The rest, as they say, is history...
(Thanks to Theresa's website, www.theresatomlinson.com for the borrowed pic)
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Rose Wilkins
Rose Wilkins grew up in a country house in rural Wales and was perhaps destined to be a writer. She is descended from the Lady of the Lake (apparently!) and is also a distant relative of Charles Kingsley, who wrote the classic tale of 'The Water Babies'.
Rose studied Classics at Oxford University and, while there, did some work experience at a publishing house. The experience convinced her that she too could write a novel, and she accepted a bet with her friend to write what she calls a "snogbuster" for teenagers. The completed novel led to a six-figure publishing deal (that's a lot of money, folks!) with Macmillan.
Rose currently lives in London, and when we spoke to her she was still working at her day job with Orion Publishing, while writing in her spare time. One of the best things about her job, she says, is that she gets 'Heat' magazine for free as a work expense!
And pssst! Rose isn't her real name - it's her middle name! |
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Melvin Burgess
Melvin Burgess was born in Sussex in 1954, and, according to him, he did very badly at school! He didn't like the school he attended, and was once yelled at by an English teacher for not writing a story in the way that she'd asked (he wrote it as a diary instead.)
After school, Melvin got a job with a local newspaper, but he quit once his training had finished, having decided that all he wanted to do was write books! He then had more than 15 years of doing random jobs and writing unsuccessful novels before, at the age of 35, really having a go at short stories, radio drama and children's fiction. His first published book, The Cry of the Wolf, was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal - he had arrived! He has been writing ever since.
Melvin now lives with his children, Oliver and Pearl, in Manchester. |
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