BBC7

David Almond grew up in a big Catholic family in Felling in Gateshead. He still lives in the North East with his family.

"It was a place of ancient coal mines, dark terraced streets, strange shops, new estates and wild heather hills," he explains. "Our lives were filled with mysterious and unexpected events, and the place and the people have given me many of my stories."

He had different jobs after leaving school. He worked as a brush salesman, a builder's labourer, a hotel porter and a postman as well as spending many years as a teacher.

But he always wanted to be a writer. "As a boy I wrote stories and made them into little books. I loved the local library, and dreamed that books with my name on the covers would one day stand on the shelves".

David's books have won loads of awards including the Whitbread Children's Book of the Year for Skellig and The Fire Eaters . He's also won the Carnegie Medal, and the Smarties Award.

"Writing can be difficult, but sometimes it really does feel like a kind of magic. I think that stories are living things - among the most important things in the world."

His favourite subject at school was football. (He still hopes he'll get a call from Bobby Robson asking him to play for Newcastle). His ambition is to see Newcastle win the FA Cup.

David's books include:

• Skellig
• Kit's Wilderness
• Heaven Eyes
• The Fire Eaters
• Secret Heart
• Counting Stars
• Wild Girl Wild Boy
• Clay