Maggie Hamand is a journalist, non-fiction author and novelist. She was the winner of the first World One-Day Novel cup and her novel, The Resurrection of the Body, (buy from Amazon) was first published by Michael Joseph and has been optioned for television. She has also had short stories published and shortlisted for prizes. She taught creative writing at Morley College, was Writer in Residence at Holloway Prison, London and a Royal Literary Fund Fellow at London University of the Arts. She is founded and directed the acclaimed small independent publisher The Maia Press (now part of Arcadia Books), and has recently published Creative Writing For Dummies.

Shaun Levin's novella, Seven Sweet Things, was published in 2003, and his collection of short stories, A Year of Two Summers, in 2005. His short stories appear in anthologies and journals in the UK, the USA, Canada, Israel, and South Africa. He has been writer-in-residence in a school, a theatre, a bookshop, and on the island of Tasmania. He is a recipient of an Arts Council of England Writer's Award, and is the editor of Chroma, a literary journal. He has taught creative writing at several colleges in London, and run workshops around the UK, and in venues as diverse as The National Gallery, London Zoo, Richmond Park, Abney Park Cemetery, and a restaurant. See more at www.shaunlevin.com.

Catherine Johnson has written fourteen books for young readers including Arctic Hero, selected as one of the twelve books distributed free to secondary school pupils in England in 2008. She has also written for film and tv, including screenplay for the the feature film Bullet Boy. She is an occasional columnist for The Observer, and she has been a Royal Literary Fund Fellow and a writer in residence in Holloway Prison. She has taught Creative Writing for the British Council in Albania, Malawi and Athens. Her latest book, A Nest of Vipers, is published this year by Random house. See more at www.catherinejohnson.co.uk.

Karen Falconer is a writer, journalist and teacher. She has a Post-Graduate Diploma in Book Publishing from Oxford Brookes University and worked in book publishing before becoming a journalist and editor; her articles and life writing have been published in numerous national newspapers and magazines. She has an MSc in Developmental Psychology, which included a research dissertation evaluating the creative writing process in young people. She has trained as a teacher in the UK and at Angers University in France. She is currently completing her first novel.

Kolton Lee is a filmmaker and novelist. A graduate of The National Film and Television School, he has written episodes of the popular, long running BBC dramas Eastenders, Byker Grove and the series Brothers and Sisters. He has also written and directed a number of independent films including the award winning feature film, Cherps. 2007 saw the publication of his debut novel, the critically acclaimed crime thriller The Last Card, published by The Maia Press. Kolton has taught scriptwriting at a variety of institutions including the New York Film Academy and London’s Metropolitan University.

Caroline Holden Hotopf is a children's author and illustrator of a wide range of books for children and adults, including the 'Adrian Mole' series by Sue Townsend, as well as books by Michael Palin and Michael Rosen. She is author and illusrator of Securiskunk and Danger, God Working Overhead, and won an award for Albert Comes Back in the Lion and Albert series. She has worked as a cartoonist for many publications including Private Eye and The Observer. She has given workshops at many schools and venues for children of all ages. See more at www.holden-hotopf.com.

Natalie Butlin studied English Literature and went on to do a Masters in Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia. She has worked at the literary charity First Story and as an intern at Random House Children's Books, Transworld, the Poetry Society and literary agents Johnson & Alcock. She has run adult and children's writing workshops at UEA and in a variety of other settings. She currently works for Christine Greene Author's Agents and writes short fiction.

Naomi Wood studied at Cambridge and at UEA for her MA in Creative Writing. Her first novel, The Godless Boys, was published to critical acclaim by Picador in April 2011, and was shortlisted as an Amazon Rising Star award and for the Newton First Book Award. She is now studying for a PhD in Critical and Creative Writing at UEA, where she is also a tutor. She is currently working on her second project, a historical novel about the Hemingway family. Naomi started writing The Godless Boys after completing the Original Course at the Complete Creative Writing Course in 2006. She is 28 and lives in London.