Here's a photo of me looking happy - not as rare a thing as some people suppose.

My first book, FLOODLAND, was published by Orion in 2000, and won the Branford-Boase award for best debut children's novel. WITCH HILL followed in 2001, and was nominated for an Edgar Allan Poe Award, the Independent Reading Association award and the Portsmouth Book Award. In 2002 The DARK HORSE was shortlisted for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, The Carnegie Medal and the Blue Peter Book Award.

The BOOK OF DEAD DAYS was nominated for the Guardian Award, and was also shortlisted for the Sheffield Book Award and the Edgar Allan Poe Award.

THE FORESHADOWING was nominated for various awards, and then I let my hair down with MY SWORDHAND IS SINGING, having fun with the old vampire business. SWORDHAND won the Carnegie Shadowing vote and the Booktrust Teenage Book Award.

BLOOD RED, SNOW WHITE - a mixture of fairy tale, spy thriller and love story set during the Russian Revolution, was shortlisted for the Costa Award.

THE KISS OF DEATH , a sort of sequel to SWORDHAND, appeared in the UK in September 2008.

I illustrate some of my books, and have provided wood-engravings for a couple of private press books.