This is quite dry, this bit, but has the main facts. For a less dry, but less useful, list of stuff about me click here.

I am a writer. The stuff I've written includes novels, screenplays, children's novels and journalism.

My first novel, The Last Family in England (2004) was a UK bestseller. It was an honour when one of my favourite writers, Jeanette Winterson, called it 'among the great animal books.' It was a Daily Mail Book Club selection, and the film rights have been sold to Brad Pitt's production company. The very talented New Zealand film-maker Taika Waititi has written a brilliant screenplay and plans to direct the film.

Since that book I've written The Dead Fathers Club (2006) and The Possession of Mr Cave (2008), which have been translated into ten languages. The last one is still the darkest thing I've ever written, by quite a long way. Again, an excellent screenplay for that has been written by Brock Norman Brock.

My latest novel, The Radleys, won an ALA Alex Award in America, has been shortlisted for the Portico prize and nominated for the Carnegie Medal, and has been translated into 26 languages. It is a TV Book Club Summer Read and will appear on Channel Four/More 4 the week beginning August 7th 2011. I have written the screenplay with the help of the (now chopped) UK Film Council, which is being produced into a film by Alfonso Cuaron and BBC Films. It was written as an adult novel, but in addition to the Canongate edition there is a young adult edition available in the UK published by Walker Books.

However, I have written some children's books. My first, Shadow Forest, won the Nestle/Smarties Prize, the Blue Peter Book of the Year Award (2009) and eight regional awards. Both Shadow Forest and it's sequel The Runaway Troll are being re-packaged and re-published for an early 2012 release in the UK. This will coincide with the launch of my new kids book, To Be a Cat.

I was born in Sheffield, Yorkshire in 1975. Since then I have lived in Nottinghamshire, Ibiza and London. I studied English and History at Hull University and then did an MA at Leeds. I live in York with the writer Andrea Semple and our children Lucas and Pearl.

And in 2009, I won the Yorkshire Young Achievers 'Achievement in the Arts' Award.