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.

Penny Neville-Lee was born in Surrey and raised on a diet of Saturday cartoons and MGM musicals. She gained an MA in Painting at the Royal College of Art and then turned her hand to illustrating children’s books.