Meet The Authors 2007

Malorie Blackman

Malorie Blackman signing books at the National Conference 2007

Malorie Blackman had a variety of jobs before she became a full time writer and spent many years working as a Database Manager for Reuters travelling extensively within Europe and the United States.

After 82 rejection letters, her first novel, Not So Stupid!, was a selected title for the 1991 Feminist Book Fortnight, and Malorie participated in the first BBC TV Black Women's Screenwriting Workshop in 1991. She has written a number of books for young readers including the Whizziwig series, which have been dramatised successfully for children's television.

Malorie's books for Transworld include Operation Gadgetman!, Hacker, Thief!, A.N.T.I.D.O.T.E., Dangerous Reality and Pig-Heart Boy. Hacker and Thief! both won the Young Telegraph/Fully Booked Award - Malorie is the only author to have won it twice! Hacker also won the W H Smith Mind Boggling Book Award in 1994.

Pig Heart Boy tackles the controversial use of genetically altered animal organs for human transplants. This she does with great feeling, skilfully exploring the complex emotions the issue arouses. The book received great praise from the critics and was shortlisted for the prestigious Carnegie Medal. The BBC adapted Pig-Heart Boy for children's television to great critical acclaim and it was awarded a BAFTA for Best Children's Drama.

Noughts & Crosses is her most ambitious novel to date. Aimed at teenagers, it is set in an alternate reality, where black and white are right and wrong. It is a stimulating and often provocative read in which two young people attempt to make a stand for their beliefs regardless of the horrifying cost to their own lives. It has received much praise and has won the 2002 Children's Book Award, the 2002 Sheffield Children's Book Award and the Lancashire Children's book Award. Most recently it was voted one the nation's 100 favourite books in the BBC Big Read survey.

Knife Edge, the sequel to Noughts & Crosses has had huge critical acclaim. Described as "a powerful story of race and prejudice" in The Sunday Times and "devastatingly powerful" in The Guardian, is just as gripping, hard-hitting and uncompromising.

In July 2005, Malorie delivered the eagerly awaited and dramatic conclusion to the Noughts & Crosses trilogy: Checkmate. Checkmate has been long listed for The Carnegie Medal.

In her spare time, Malorie likes going to the cinema, the theatre and watching TV, enjoys playing computer and board games, and reads absolutely everything - except Westerns. She lives with her husband and daughter in South London along with a large collection of books, over 10,000 at the last count. Malorie was awarded the prestigious Eleanor Farjeon award in 2005.

Book titles include:

• Not So Stupid!
• Whizziwig series
• Operation Gadgetman!
• Hacker
• Thief!
• A.N.T.I.D.O.T.E.
• Dangerous Reality
• Pig-Heart Boy
• Cloud Busting
• Noughts & Crosses
• An Eye for an Eye
• Knife Edge
• Checkmate

Jean Ure

Jean Ure signing books at the National Conference 2007

I had my first book published while I was at school and promptly went rushing into the world declare that I was an AUTHOR. Unfortunately, I quickly discovered that the proceeds from one book were not enough to live on, and that while I might indeed be AN AUTHOR I needed to earn money just like all those other people who weren't authors.

Over the next couple of years I hopped like a flea from job to job, rarely staying anywhere longer than a month as they were all so boring. At the same time as hopping like a flea, I was trying to write and sell more books, only nobody seemed to want them, which was rather depressing. In the end I decided that I would go to drama school. I thought it would be fun - which it was. I spent three very happy years there, wrote another book (and had it published) and met my future husband. He became an actor, I became a writer. I have been writing ever since.

We now live in a 300 year-old house in South London with our family of seven dogs and four cats.

Book titles include:

• Over the Moon
• Gone Missing
• Hunky Dory

Joe Craig

Joe Craig signing books at the National Conference 2007

Joe studied Philosophy at Cambridge University (Emmanuel College), graduating in 2002. While there he wrote and performed with the Cambridge Footlights and co-hosted a radio show. He first considered writing as a career in 2003, when he developed the idea for the 'Jimmy Coates' series.

As well as being a writer, he is a musician. He performs as a jazz pianist and singer/songwriter around London. He won 'Most Promising Young Writer' at the Vivian Ellis Prize for his first musical and has since written the music for several shows which have run on the London and Edinburgh fringe.

He coaches cricket at his local club (Brondesbury CC), where he runs the Under Elevens. They came second in the league this year - and had a lot of fun along the way.

His other interests are - music, watching films, reading, collecting frogs, eating lunch, inventing snacks, Aesop's fables, dancing Tango, playing poker, growing chillies, painting, eating Haribo Sweets, sushi, playing five-a-side football and cricket.

Joe Craig lives and works in North London.

Book titles include:

• Jimmy Coates: Killer
• Jimmy Coates: Target
• Jimmy Coates: Revenge
• Jimmy Coates: Sabotage (Oct 2007)