Alison Friend was on vacation one year, making jams and chutneys with her husband, when they discovered a recipe for Figgy Mustardo. The chutney was good, but Alison thought the name was better suited for a feisty little dog. That's how Figgy came to be!

Alison is also the author and illustrator of Freddy & Frito and the Clubhouse Rules, which Kirkus Reviews called "a playful, lighthearted lesson about peacekeeping and place-keeping." She lives with her family in the Lake District in England.