C. S. Lewis (1898-1963) was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably the most influential Christian writer of his day. He was a Fellow and Tutor in English Literature at Oxford University until 1954 when he was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance English at Cambridge University, a position he held until his retirement. His major contributions in literary criticism, children's literature, fantasy literature and popular theology brought him international renown and acclaim. He wrote more than thirty books, allowing him to reach a vast audience, and his works continue to attract thousands of new readers every year. His most distinguished and popular accomplishments include The Chronicles of Narnia, Out of the Silent Planet, The Four Loves, The Screwtape Letters and Mere Christianity.
Francis Spufford was born in 1964. He is the author of five celebrated books of non-fiction. The most recent, Unapologetic, has been translated into three languages; the one before, Red Plenty, into nine. He has been longlisted or shortlisted for prizes in science writing, historical writing, political writing, theological writing, and writing 'evoking the spirit of place'. His first novel. Golden Hill, was published in 2016 and won the Costa First Novel Award. In 2007 he was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. He teaches creative writing at Goldsmiths College, University of London, and lives near Cambridge. , Francis Spufford, a former Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year (1997), is the author of five highly-praised books of non-fiction. The first, I May Be Some Time, won three literary prizes, and helped create a small new academic field, dedicated to the cultural history of Antarctica. The second, The Child That Books Built, gave Neil Gaiman 'the peculiar feeling that there was now a book I didn't need to write'. Backroom Boys was called 'as nearly perfect as makes no difference' by the Daily Telegraph; Red Plenty has been translated into nine languages, including Polish, Russian and Estonian; Unapologetic is richer in expletives than any previous work of religious advocacy, and is currently shortlisted for the Michael Ramsey Prize for Theological Writing. He has also been shortlisted or longlisted for prizes in writing about science, history, politics and 'the spirit of place'. He teaches at Goldsmiths College and lives near Cambridge with his wife and younger daughter. In 2007 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
Jenna Bailey was born in Alberta, Canada, and now lives in Brighton. She studied History at Queen's University in Ontario, Canada, and took her Masters in Life History at the University of Sussex. Can Any Mother Help Me? was her first publication.
Kate Saunders has been writing children's books for two decades and her backlist includes classics such as Beswitched, Magicalamity, The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop and The Curse of the Chocolate Phoenix, with her 10th book for children, The Great Reindeer Disaster, publishing this Christmas. She began with the Belfry Witches series, packed with humour and magic, themes that have remained throughout her stories. Kate was a contributor to the 2016 Winnie the Pooh official sequel. Her latest two novels, Five Children on the Western Front and The Land of Neverendings have received rave reviews and awards accolades. Five Children won the Costa and was shortlisted for the Guardian Prize. Both were shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal and heralded again and again as the best books of the year by fellow authors and national publications alike. Living in London, Kate is a true storyteller and her magical, wickedly hilarious novels allow young readers to escape their everyday lives into wonderful worlds where they are empowered to explore and enjoy themselves. She is a national treasure.
