Matt Padwick
Matt has kept journals since he was a child, and the detailed accounts he kept of his adventurous travels form the basis for his debut novel. His travels began after college. “I had amazing jobs in […]
Katarina Bivald
Katarina cannot decide whether she prefers books or people. From the age of 14, until she was 25, she worked, part-time in a bookshop. Meanwhile, she was working for various NGO’s. “I always wanted to write, […]
Paula McGrath
A lifelong lover of English, Paula left Dublin after college planning to travel the world. She got as far as Los Angeles, and stayed there for three years trying to become a writer. “But I couldn’t […]
Natasha Pulley
After university Natasha taught English in China; then she worked, briefly, in Waterstones before joining Cambridge University Press as a publishing assistant. She left there to take up an MA in creative writing, and whilst there, […]
Ruth Ware
Ruth has always written stories. As a teenager, the stories became longer and longer – the size of full length books. But it was a while before she actually became a writer. After university she spent […]
Jax Miller
After a difficult early life, Jax dropped out of school, and hitchhiked around America. There were bouts of drug taking and homelessness. At 22, in rehab, her Born Again Christian counsellor suggested she write a journal, […]
M.O. Walsh
M.O. Walsh has been writing since the 8th grade, when he discovered literature through Edgar Allan Poe. It’s all he’s ever wanted to do. Since finally leaving college at 27, he has been teaching creative writing; […]
Oisin Fagan
Oisín has been writing since he was 9. At 19 he dropped out of college for a year, to be a writer. “I wrote full time, and worked nights. Then I went back to complete my […]
Kelly Creighton
After college Kelly worked in a special school, then she worked with adults who had learning difficulties. Once her four children were born, she trained as an arts facilitator, and though she was interested in writing, […]
Caitriona Lally
Interested in science, Caitriona started studying speech therapy at college, but she dropped out, took a year out, and studied English. “Then I went to Japan to teach for a year with my boyfriend, then we […]
David Shafer
David credits his father for his love of books. He studied journalism with the hope of becoming an inteprid investiagative reporter, but soon found it was a career he wasn’t suited for. “I wrote for a […]
Gavin McCrea
Gavin’s mother gave him a love of books. “She left school at 14, but discovered reading when she was having children. It was a modest upbringing but we were always surrounded by good books.” After college […]