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Hilary
McKay was born in Boston, Lincolnshire and is the eldest
of four girls. From a very early age she read voraciously
and grew up in a household of readers. Hilary says of herself
as a child “I anaesthetised myself against the big
bad world with large doses of literature. The local library
was as familiar to me as my own home.”
After
reading Botany and Zoology at St. Andrew’s University
Hilary then went on to work as a biochemist in an Analysis
Department. Hilary enjoyed the work but at the same time
had a burning desire to write. After the birth of her two
children, Hilary wanted to devote more time to bringing
up her children and writing so decided to leave her job.
One
of the best things about being a writer, says Hilary, is
receiving letters from children. She wishes that she had
written to authors as a child, but it never occurred to
her to contact them
Hilary
now lives in a small village in Derbyshire with her family.
When not writing Hilary loves walking, reading, having friends
to stay.
Hilary’s
first book, The Exiles, was published in 1991 and
went on to win The Guardian Children’s Fiction Award
and The Smarties Prize. Saffy’s Angel, Hilary’s
latest novel, also won the 2002 Whitbread Children's Book
Prize and has recently published in paperback. A sequel,
Indigo’s Star will be published later this year.
Profile
supplied by Hodder Books. Last updated January 2003.
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