Rosalind Stopps worked for many years with children with disabilities and their families, and has heard many sad, (and happy) stories. She keeps a list on her at all times of things she sees or hears that absolutely have to be written about and at the moment the list includes, amongst other things, a recipe book of fatal recipes.

Rosalind's short stories have been published in five anthologies and read at live literature events in London, Leeds, Hong Kong and New York. Rosalind lives in London and works as a host at the South Bank. Hello, My Name is May is her debut novel.

Peter Higgins read English at Oxford University and Queen's, Ontario. He was a Junior Research Fellow at Wolfson College, Oxford and worked in the British Civil Service. His short stories have appeared in Fantasy: Best of the Year 2007, Best New Fantasy 2, Asimov's Science Fiction, Fantasy Magazine, Zahir and Revelation, and in Russian translation in the St Petersburg magazine Esli. His first novel was the acclaimed Wolfhound Century. He lives with his family in South Wales.

Richard Smyth spent several years as an editor before becoming a freelance writer and researcher.

He writes regular articles for magazines including History Today, as well compiling that publication's monthly crossword.

He also sets the questions for the BBC's Mastermind.

Tania Hershman is a poet and writer based in Manchester.

A former science journalist, she is the author of three short story collections and two books of poetry and co-author of Writing Short Stories: A Writers and Artists Companion