Frances Stickley grew up in Nottingham and Norwich, where she spent much of her time making up poems and dressing up her dog. She is a trained children's literacy specialist and a primary school teacher who is happiest when she is covered in paint or stuck in a book. In 2017, Frances was the winner of the Bloomsbury and National Literacy Trust short story prize. She lives with her family and a big-eared dog called Babbage. When she is not writing, you'll probably find her in a forest playing dragons with her daughters. Stefano Martinuz was born in Bresica, Italy. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna, where he graduated with honours. He now works as a children's book illustrator, visual development artist, comic book colourist and concept artist for various companies and animation studios. In his spare time, he loves drawing little fantasy creatures, funny monsters and raccoons.