Authors and illustrators

Sophia Bennett

Sophia Bennett’s debut novel, THREADS, won The Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition in 2009. She has since published six further novels for young teens, including THE LOOK and LOVE SONG. Sophia has been called ‘the queen of teen dreams’ by journalist Amanda Craig, for her exploration of the worlds of fashion, art and music. Her books have sold internationally to over 16 countries and there are plans to make THREADS into a TV series. Sophia lives with her family in Wandsworth, south-west London.

Simran Diamond Singh

Simran Diamond Singh is an illustrator and character designer based in East London. She has always adored storytelling and world-building and bringing characters to life, and ventured into the world of children's book illustration after winning the SECRET STORY DRAW in 2021.

Sebastiaan Van Doninck

Sebastiaan was born and raised in Belgium, and now lives in Antwerp where he works as an illustrator of children’s and adult books. Visit www.sebastiaanvandoninck.com

Sandra Prada

Sandra de la Prada has loved drawing since she was a child, but she’s also loved watching films, reading books and having fun. She is sure all these things, as well as studying photography and graphic design, and working on several different jobs, have helped her to become an illustrator. She published her first illustrated book in 2010 and hasn’t stopped since then. She lives in Barcelona and still does all the things that she loves.

Ruth Lauren

Ruth Lauren has been a teacher and worked in lots of different offices, but she likes writing best, as well as walking in the woods, cheese, orchids, going to the movies, and reading as many books as she can. She is the author of Prisoner of Ice and Snow and its sequel Seeker of the Crown and currently lives in a Victorian house in the West Midlands in England with her partner and a lot of children and cats.