Eoin was born in Wexford, a picturesque coastal town in the southeast corner of Ireland. Attending the primary school where his father taught, Eoin first developed his interest in writing and began his life long habit of writing his own stories complete with illustrations.

He qualified as a primary teacher in 1986. He began teaching in a local primary school by day but continued to write at night. Eoin rapidly became involved in the local amateur drama group starring in, directing and later writing many award winning productions. His monster best seller Artemis Fowl was published in 2001.

David Almond is the author of Skellig, My Name is Mina, Counting Stars, The Savage, Island, A Song for Ella Grey, The Colour of the Sun and many other novels, stories, picture books, opera librettos, songs and plays.

His work is translated into 40 languages, and is widely adapted for stage and screen. His major awards include the Carnegie Medal, two Whitbread Awards, the Eleanor Farjeon Award, the Michael L Printz Award (USA), Le Prix Sorcieres (France) and the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize. In 2010 he won the Hans Christian Andersen Award, the world's most prestigious prize for children's authors.

David speaks at festivals and conferences around the world. He is Professor of Creative Writing at Bath Spa University. He is widely regarded as one of the most exciting, inspirational and innovative children's authors writing today. He has one amazing daughter. He lives in Bath and in Newcastle, the city in which he was born.

Roddy Doyle was born in Dublin in 1958.

He is the author of eleven acclaimed novels including The Commitments, The Snapper and The Van, two collections of short stories, Rory & Ita, a memoir about his parents, and most recently, The Guts.

He won the Booker Prize in 1993 for Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha.