Melvin Burgess was born in London and brought up in Surrey and Sussex. He has had a variety of jobs before becoming a full-time writer. Before his first novel, he had short stories published and a play broadcast on Radio 4.

He is now regarded as one of the best writers in contemporary children's literature, having won the Carnegie Medal and the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize for his acclaimed novel Junk.

Cat Clarke is the bestselling, award-winning author of six YA novels. She was born in Zambia and brought up in Edinburgh and Yorkshire, which has given her an accent that tends to confuse people. She lives in Edinburgh with her partner, two ninja cats and two decidedly non-ninja cocker spaniels.

Katy Cannon was born in the United Arab Emirates, grew up in North Wales and now lives in Royston, Hertfordshire with her husband and two children.

Her YA debut, Love, Lies and Lemon Pies, has been published in eight languages. She has since written Secrets, Schemes and Sewing Machines, followed by And Then We Ran. She also writes adult romance novels under a pseudonym.

Benjamin Zephaniah is a performer, musician, actor, and one of the UK's best-known poets. Born in Handsworth, Birmingham, Benjamin began writing and performing at the age of 11, and had his first collection of poetry published when he was 22. He has written more than 30 books for adults and children and is known all over the world for his powerful writing and performances.

Benjamin was a founding member of Artists Against Apartheid, and in 1996 he hosted the President's Two Nations Concerts at the Royal Albert Hall in London, at the request of Nelson Mandela. On August 29th 2007 he was the Master of Ceremonies at the unveiling of the statue of Nelson Mandela, again at his request, in Parliament Square. Benjamin is also a musician and was the first person to record with the Wailers after the death of Bob Marley.

As well as writing poetry, novels, screenplays and stage plays, Benjamin has also written and presented documentaries for television and radio. He has been awarded 13 honorary doctorates in recognition of his work and a wing at The Ealing Hospital in West London has been named after him. As passionate about politics and poetry as he has ever been, Benjamin now lives in Lincolnshire.

Lisa Williamson is the award-winning, bestselling author of The Art Of Being Normal, All About Mia and Paper Avalanche.

This is her first First Names title.

Sita Brahmachari won the Waterstones Children's Book Prize with her debut Artichoke Hearts and is one of the most interesting and important voices in children's books today.

Her latest novel, Tender Earth, is the UK IBBY Honour 2018 Nominee. She was the 2015 Booktrust's Writer in Residence and is the current Writer in Residence at Islington Centre for Refugees and Migrants. Sita is also an Amnesty International ambassador. She lives in London with her family.

Non Pratt is a British author who started her career working on non-fiction activity books at Usborne, before becoming an editor at Catnip Publishing. Her debut novel Trouble was shortlisted for the YA Book Prize and the Branford Boase Award, and long-listed for the Carnegie Medal, with rights sold to the USA, Germany and Brazil.

Her second novel, Remix came out in 2015 and a novella, Unboxed for Barrington Stoke came out in 2016. Her third novel with Walker Books, Truth or Dare came out in 2017.

Julie Mayhew originally trained as a journalist, then as an actress, and she started writing because she hardly ever saw a script with a brilliant role for a girl or a woman.

She is the author of Red Ink (shortlisted for the 2014 Branford Boase Award) and the critically acclaimed The Big Lie. She is also prolific writer for radio, and has twice been nominated for Best Original Drama at the BBC Audio Drama Awards for her plays A Shoebox Of Snow and The Electrical Venus.

Julie is a recent recipient of an Arts Council England Award and a K Blundell Trust Award to research and develop stories in Berlin and in her hometown Peterborough, and she is currently under commission to write a free and modern adaptation of The Railway Children for Eastern Angles Theatre. She lives in Hertfordshire with her family, where she is host of short story cabaret The Berko Speakeasy.

Queen of Teen 2014 Juno Dawson is the multi award-winning author of dark teen thrillers written under the name James Dawson.

In 2015, she released her first contemporary romance, All of the Above. Her first non-fiction book, Being a Boy, tackled puberty, sex and relationships in a frank and funny fashion, and a follow-up for young LGBT people, This Book is Gay, came out in 2014. Juno is a regular contributor to Attitude Magazine, GT and the Guardian and has contributed to news items concerning sexuality, identity, literature and education on BBC Women's Hour, Front Row, This Morning and Newsnight. Juno's titles have received rave reviews and her books have been translated into more than ten languages.

In 2015, Juno announced her transition to become a woman, having previously lived as James Dawson. She writes full time and lives in Brighton.

Tom Becker grew up in a market town in the northwest of England dreaming of becoming a writer.

He won the 2007 Waterstones Children's Book Prize with his first novel, Darkside, and continued to blur the lines between history and fantasy in books such as The Traitors and While The Others Sleep.

To date his books have been translated into over ten languages. He has also published a play, Until The Last Light Fades, and an adult novel, The Cold Tap, under his real name, Tom Beckerlegge.

Tom lives in London with his wife, baby son, and a horde of shadowy creatures that he keeps confined within the pages of his notebook.