Keith Gray

I was brought up in Grimsby and as a child tried to avoid books. I was an eager rebel and a particularly enthusiastic pain-in-the-backside, but a reluctant reader. Teachers urged and parents moaned, but all in vain. Books were a necessary chore, like washing my dad’s car. I think everyone was surprised (even me) when I raced through Robert Westall’s The Machine Gunners from cover to cover – twice. This book was the starting point for me, making me want to write my own stories. My first book Creepers was published when I was 24 and it was shortlisted for the Guardian Fiction Award. I have since written ten books including Warehouse (also shortlisted for the Guardian Fiction Award and winner of the Angus Book Award), Marlarkey (shortlisted for the Booktrust Teenage Prize and winner of the South Lanarkshire Book Award) and for younger readers The Runner (winner of a Smarties Silver Medal). I lectured for two years in Creative Writing at the University of Lincolnshire and Humberside, where I enjoyed working with people who shared the same interests and ambitions as I have. I now live in Edinburgh with my partner Jasmine and our parrot, Bellamy. I spend much of my time visiting schools to pass on my love of books and writing, as well as reviewing teenage fiction for the Guardian and the Scotsman.