NANCY ALSOP

Nancy grew up between west London and the wide, wild expanses of north Norfolk, where she spent much of her time leaping off tufty sand dunes or making believe in magical woodlands. Her working life has revolved around words – writing them, editing them – usually destined for the pages of magazines. In 2014, she wrote the best-selling interiors book, Living Life Beautifully (CICO), escaping to dreamy bucolic settings via its lovely subjects.    

By her bedside is a teetering tower of books, many of them well-pawed relics from childhood that she can practically recite by heart. She has dreamed of writing books for children since she first read some of the novels in that tower. She lives in Oxford with her wild and wonderful three year old, Rose, and her writer husband, Alex, and has fantasies about building a shed in the garden where she can create new worlds for her readers to enjoy.    

The Scruffbumbles is a big-hearted, funny, poignant page-turner of a middle grade novel. It is her children’s book debut.   

Angela has spent 23 years teaching primary-aged children, and also works as a Pilates instructor in Jersey. With a background in acting, Kate has taught in post 16 education for the past 22 years in Devon, where she lives. Sharing concerns about the lack of empowering female characters in early years fiction has inspired them to begin writing. 

Kaydia’s working life has been spent in art and design, covering interiors, illustration and fashion. She is an avid fan of anything artisan, craft orientated, handmade and beautiful! She lives in Jersey with her husband and daughter.

Co-authors, Angela and Kate, and illustrator, Kaydia, are currently collaborating on a series of adventure stories for young children based in Jersey, in the Channel Islands. 

Sienna and her Surfing adventures is the first in the series. The aim is to engage very young readers in accessible, humorous, exciting stories in which the female protagonists, and their friends, are active, problem solving, dynamic individuals with wide ranging interests.   
 

Jane was four years old when her father refused to accept that it was this particular child who had scratched a yacht into the new wallpaper and signed her name, saying that, ‘the writing was too good.’ Taking this to be a positive omen, Jane has embarked on a writing career after years of being a professional musician and interior designer. A lifetime of eavesdropping other people’s conversations has helped shape a fascination into character and the interplay of relationships which is reflected in her fiction. 

Gently Pouring Petrol, introducing Rachel Harrison, is Jane’s debut novel. She is currently working towards completing her second novel: How's it hanging, Charlie Finch?
 

When she’s not writing, Jane is usually playing her saxophone somewhere or pounding the lanes of rural Norfolk where she lives with her husband. On the rare occasions she manages to sleep, she dreams of having time to do more dressmaking.

You can find Jane on Twitter @jawywa  

“Be here now” says Susan Lee Kerr as she teaches creative writing, makes papier-mache, writes haiku, a blog and explores life through travelling.    

Susan is a transplanted American whose writing career has led from naming lipsticks to freelance magazine articles to three non-fiction books and the true-life story of her extraordinary great grandfather. She has three grandchildren and lives in Chiswick with her husband.  

A Body of Knowledge is her first fiction for mainstream readers. A reflective, contemporary, women's novel with a mystery twist. 

You can read more about SLK on www.susanleekerr.com