Biographical note

Beth Lincoln is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Swifts. Raised in a former Victorian railway station in the North of England, her childhood fears included porcelain dolls, the Durham panther, and wardrobes that looked at her funny. She grew neither tall nor wise, and never learned to play an instrument – but she did write stories, a bad habit that has persisted to this day. When she isn't writing, Beth is woodcarving, or making a mess of her flat, or talking the nearest ear off about unexplained occurrences. Her favourite things include ghosts, crisps, and weird old words like bumbershoot and zounderkite. Among its many accolades, The Swifts was the winner of the 2023 Nero Children’s Fiction Award and the Barnes & Noble Children’s & YA Book Award. Beth lives in Newcastle upon Tyne with her partner and hopefully, by the time you are reading this, a dog. Claire Powell is a bestselling children's book illustrator who got her first book deal in 2016 and has never looked back. After spending many years in London, Claire now enjoys a quieter life in the rolling hills of Derbyshire with her partner Stefan (who may not agree that living with Claire is quiet).