Biography
The story so far…
Every good story needs a beginning. Emma’s starts in Edinburgh, in a house that strangers photographed because they thought Robert Louis Stevenson once lived there. It didn’t. But the stories started anyway.
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Chapter One
An Edinburgh childhood
Emma was born and raised in Edinburgh. At one time she lived in a house that a lot of people thought was the childhood home of author Robert Louis Stevenson — they used to come from all over the world and take pictures of it — only it wasn’t.
…though tourists photographed it anyway.
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Chapter Two
A bookworm who chose history
As a child she was a bookworm, and especially liked historical fiction — maybe that was why she chose to study history at university.
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Chapter Three
London, Cambridge & Colorado
Afterwards she lived and worked in London, Cambridge, and Colorado (USA). She still likes to visit America — especially California in the winter months.
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Chapter Four
First prizes & first books
Her first writing success was as a student, when she won a short story competition — the prize was a pair of shoes. Later she wore them for school visits. Jessica Haggerthwaite was her first published book, translated into several languages as well as being adapted for radio.
The prize? A pair of shoes.
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Chapter Five
On screen & on air
As well as her children’s books, Emma writes scripts for TV and radio — including sketches for the CBeebies science show Kit and Pup, and a BBC Radio adaptation of Jessica Haggerthwaite.
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Chapter Six
Leeds, family — and school visits
She is now a full-time writer and lives with her husband, daughter and dog in Leeds, Yorkshire. She sometimes visits schools and libraries to meet young readers, especially around World Book Day.
And the story continues…
Emma writes full-time from Leeds — and loves meeting young readers in schools, libraries and at festivals.