The Book of Bera reflects my lifelong love of the sea and I lived aboard a boat for five years. I was born in Portsmouth where my father, David Shackleton, built boats. He fed me on Norse myths and the belief that we are related to Sir Ernest Shackleton, who said, “I seemed to vow to myself that some day I would go to the region of ice and snow and go on and on till I came to one of the poles of the earth.” I followed – imaginatively.

Before writing full time I was a teacher, with degrees in English and Fine Art. I gained an MA with Distinction in Creative Writing from the University of Sussex in 2011. Recently, I became Front of House for the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators U.K. Conference. Last autumn, I was selected as one of the first six playwrights to take part in a series of workshops at the Criterion Theatre, with current West End actors. At present, I am writing a book with and for Middle Grade children to support local Libraries and encourage fledgling writers, and co-authoring a contemporary adult thriller set in Austria.