David Almond was brought up in a small town called Felling on the edge of the River Tyne. He grew up in a big Catholic family and was always surrounded by lots of relatives and friends. He was an altar boy in the local church and his childhood was full of singing and stories.

David always wanted to be a writer. He disliked school, especially after he was 13, but loved the local library and dreamed that one day there would be books with his name on the cover standing on the shelves.

David was a teacher but he wanted to be a writer so much that he gave up his job, sold his house and went off to live in a writers' commune so that he could write full-time. His first book took five years to write and was sent to 33 publishers, all of who rejected it. David then started writing short stories and radio plays which were much more successful.

Out of the blue came Skellig, David's first children's book. It was an immediate success winning the Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread Award. Before it was published, David had already finished his second book, Kit's Wilderness, and almost immediately started writing the third, Heaven Eyes.

David lives not far from where he was brought up with his partner, Sara Jane, and their daughter Freya. He writes in a little room at the back of the house where he cannot be too easily distracted. He supports Newcastle United but fears that he'll never see them win the FA Cup!