Matilda Woods was born in 1989 and has been writing stories for the last seven years. She grew up in a small town near Canberra, Australia and splits her time between writing middle grade fiction and working as a youth worker. When she was younger she loved reading fantasy novels but now writes in the genre of magical realism.

The idea for The Boy, the Bird and the Coffin Maker, her first published novel, came to her one evening while out running with her dog, Lily. From this speck of an idea grew a tale that spans one year in the lives of two people: a frightened boy named Tito Bonito and a lonely old coffin maker named Alberto.

Together, they dream of a future where they can both be free and then, with courage, set sail to find it.

Anuska Allepuz grew up in Spain, where she studied Fine Arts at the University of Salamanca. She has enjoyed drawing and writing stories for as long as she can remember and her work is driven by a love of storytelling. In 2016, she graduated with distinction from the MA in Children's Book Illustration at the Cambridge School of Art. She likes exploring texture and using mixed media, handmade stamps and stencilled shapes.

Anuska has worked as a full-time illustrator with publishers in Spain, Mexico and Brazil, and her illustrations have been selected for exhibition at the Bologna Children's Book Fair, shortlisted for the AOI awards and Highly Commended in the Macmillan Prize. Some of her favourite things are drinking coffee with friends and playing chess.