"I grew up near Leeds, West Yorkshire, enjoying a childhood that spanned the 1970s. Drawing was always important to me and from an early age. I wanted to be an illustrator, even before I knew what the work entailed. Art and illustration were the subjects I studied after I left school, culminating with a MA in 1998. My early commissions were illustrating reading schemes for Oxford University Press and that started a twenty year-long working relationship with primary schools across the UK, running workshops for pupils. Later, I wanted to develop my figure drawing skills, so I dedicated my spare time to creating my own fictional characters and magical world, and the narrative these inspired, snowballed into my first fantasy novel, "Raven's Wand", and from there, I produced a book series. These days, I split my time between writing and drawing, and when possible, getting out to walk the hills nearby.
