Authors and illustrators

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.

Stacey McCleary is, was and always will be a children’s author… It has been this way ever since she faked illness during primary school to write stories on her enormous yellow typewriter at home. When Stacey is not writing in her pyjamas, she’s daydreaming about what she will next write in her pyjamas. She lives in Melbourne, Australia with her daughter, a dog, two guinea pigs and a goldfish named Rod Stewart.

Stella J Jones lives in Yorkshire. She loves baked beans and chocolate (but not together) and building ramshackle bookcases for her far-too-big collection of picture books. On sunny days, you can find her practising yoga al fresco out on the Yorkshire Dales and on rainy days, tucked up on the sofa with her two guinea pigs, Pinky and Perky.

Stephanie lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest region of the United States in Oregon. Drawing from the fields and forests of the area, she loves creating lyrical stories for the nursery. She is most influenced in her writing by having had parents who wisely filled her life with books. It is in their honor that she now writes stories for other parents to share with little ones.

Stephanie Stahl has been working in publishing for four years. Her hobbies include dancing, singing and going to the theatre.

Stacey Thomas has been drawing for as long as she can remember. She lives in a small town in the Oxfordshire countryside, where she spends her days illustrating picture books, rambling in the neighbouring woods and attempting to befriend the local wildlife.