Ali Sparkes is a journalist and BBC broadcaster who regularly exploits her sons as an in-house focus group for her children’s novels. She reckons it’s a fair trade for being used as a walking food and drink vending machine. After a spell singing and acting, Ali became a local newspaper reporter and columnist before joining BBC Radio Solent as a producer and presenter – then she chucked in the safe job to be dangerously freelance and write scripts and manuscripts. Finding the Fox, the first in a five part series of Shapeshifter books written by Ali was published in May 2006. With a queue of stories squabbling for attention in her head at all times, Ali is currently working on a three-part series of short stories about home made monsters.

Read more at www.alisparkes.com

Peter J Murray

Born in 1951 and brought up on a council estate in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, Peter J Murray left school with few qualifications and followed the family tradition of working in the dangerous steel works of Sheffield. However, at the age of 21 Pete went back to school and won a place at Cambridge University to study metallurgy; graduating with a Masters Degree in 1979. After a spell in Dubai working in the petro-chemical industry, he felt he needed a change so dabbled in teaching and never looked back – even becoming Assistant Headmaster at Cheam School, that boasts Prince Phillip and Prince Charles as ex-pupils. In 2003 Pete self-published Mokee Joe is Coming and has now established himself as a leading children’s Author.

Read more at www.peterjmurray.co.uk

Whilst working as a bookseller in London’s Charing Cross Road for 10 years, living largely off a diet of instant noodles and parsnips, Sam Enthoven honed his skills as a writer of fantastical action thrillers for 11 – 15 year olds. In September 2006 his debut novel The Black Tattoo was published to great acclaim and followed in January 2008 by Tim, Defender of the Earth – although Sam is keen to point out that it is not a sequel. His third book, Crawlers, is scheduled for release in April 2010. Equally popular in America, Sam’s work has also been translated and published in Spain, Germany, Portugal, Russia, Estonia and Romania. Over the past three years, Sam has been touring schools and libraries across Britain, inspiring hundreds of budding readers with his passion and enthusiasm.

Read more at www.samenthoven.com

Mark Robson

After winning a scholarship in 1982, Mark Robson was an operational pilot in the RAF for over 20 years. During that time he has been a co-pilot, captain and instructor on a number of different aircraft. However, it was during a spell in the Falkland Islands in 1995 that Mark first turned his hand to writing. Eighteen months later the first draft of The Forging of the Sword was complete and The Dreamweaver Legacy was born – although it took a further three and a half years before it was to find its way into bookshops, but once it did the response from readers of all ages was incredibly positive. His second book Trail of the Huntress was released a year later, and First Sword followed in 2002. The fourth book, The Chosen One, launched in 2003 and concludes the story begun in the first three books.

Read more at www.markrobsonauthor.com