Kirsty Applebaum spent her childhood romping around churchyards and butterfly fields. Since then she has had an eclectic mix of jobs including bookselling, railway re-signalling, picking stones off a conveyor belt and putting lids on perfume bottles.

These days she teaches Pilates two days a week and dedicates the rest of her time to writing. In February 2017 Kirsty graduated from Bath Spa University's MA in Writing for Young People.

Her middle grade novel, The Middler, won the 2016 United Agents Prize for Most Promising Writing for Young People.