C atherine Fisher was born in Newport, Wales. She graduated from the University of Wales with a degree in English and a fascination for myth and history. She has worked in education and archaeology as as a lecturer in creative writing at the University of Glamorgan. She is a Fellow of the Welsh Academy.
          Catherine is an acclaimed poet and novelist, regularly lecturing and giving readings to groups of all ages. She leads sessions for teachers and librarians and is an experienced broadcaster and adjudicator. She lines in Newport, Gwent.
          Catherine has won many awards and much critical acclaim for her work. Her poetry has appeared in leading periodicals and anthologies and her volume Immrama won the WAC Young Writers' Prize. She won the Cardiff International Poetry Competition in 1990.
          Her first novel, The Conjuror's Game, was shortlisted for the Smarties Books prize and The Snow-Walker's Son for the W.H.Smith Award. Equally acclaimed is her quartet The Book of the Crow, a classic of fantasy fiction.
          The Oracle, the first volume in the Oracle trilogy, blends Egyptian and Greek elements of magic and adventure and was shortlisted for the Whitbread Children's Books prize. The trilogy was an international bestseller and has appeared in over twenty languages. The Candleman won the Welsh Books Council's Tir Na n'Og Prize and Catherine was also shortlisted for the remarkable Corbenic, a modern re-inventing of the Grail legend.
          Most recently, her futuristic novel Incarceron was published to widespread praise in 2007, winning the Mythopoeic Society of America's Children's Fiction Award and selected by The Times as its Children's Book of the Year. The sequel, Sapphique, was published in September 2008.

"A writer of rare talent." - Sunday Times.

"One novel stands out above all others - Catherine Fisher's Incarceron. One of the best fantasy novels written for a long time." - The Times.

"My book of the year - Catherine Fisher's Incarceron. - The New Statesman.

"Catherine Fisher is an artist with words - a brilliant writer of fantasy." - Carousel.

"For sheer reading pleasure Incarceron is my top pick." - The Bookseller.

"Catherine Fisher - one of today's best fantasy writers." - The Independent.

Go here for a complete bibliography and list of awards and nominations.

The poems and prose extracts on this site are copyright © Catherine Fisher. If you want to quote or use something, please ask. You can contact Catherine via her agent, whose contact details are also on this page.

The following details may help people trying to arrange school visits:

CATHERINE FISHER; VISITS TO SCHOOLS

Cost: �300 a day plus travel; �200 for a half day or evening reading.

Catherine travels by train so overnight accommodation may be required. This should be in a hotel, not private homes.

Age group: Year 6 and above. This will also depend on the suitability of the book being discussed.

Ideally groups of class size are best; however Catherine is happy to speak to larger groups if this is discussed beforehand.

Sessions take 50 minutes to an hour. if a specific book is being studies Catherine will speak about how it came to be written and the influences and progress of the writing process.

With other groups she will introduce a recent book, read from it and discuss how a writer works.

In each case the last twenty minutes of the talk is a question and answer session.

Three sessions a day would be the maximum; for a half day, two sessions.

Within Wales, 50% of the cost can usually be reclaimed from the Academi's Writers in Wales Tour Scheme

If a local bookshop is able to supply books, a signing session is also included.

Contact Pollinger Ltd for more details.

News from Catherine

NEWS UPDATE

Hi everyone,

The Crown of Acorns is likely to be the title of my next book, scheduled for 2010. Here's the blurb:

Stop now. Because this is dangerous. Because the Circle is the oldest magic.

A leper king finds a sacred spring that will heal him. On the site he builds the great city of Aquae Sulis.
             In 1740 Zac works for the brilliant and crazy Jonathan Forrest, who wants only to design a perfect circle of houses.
             In 2009 a girl with no name and a terrible secret starts a new life in the beautiful street called the King's Circus. But who is watching her veery move?

In this fascinating novel of mystery and dark secrets, award-winning author Catherine Fisher draws together three stories that echo in a ring of stone, inking myth and history and a contemporary tale of fear. Because who can escape their past, in a place where it curves and comes up behind you?

I hope you find that intriguing. As you can see, though the book is fairly short, it's not simple. The challenge of working with three stories and three different voices and time periods was really interesting, especially as I've written part of it in the first person. It's set in a fictional version of Bath, which is a city I know and love, and it was the city itself that was the inspiration for the book.

The story has just gone to production, so I'll let you know the publication date soon, and put on a sample for you to read.

Sapphique is doing well and has had great reviews. Both Incarceron and Sapphique will be published shortly in the US by Dial Penguin, so look out for those. I've seen the cover for Incarceron and it's fantastic.

In late September I'm guest reading on a Fantasy Fiction course in Ty newydd, North Wales. The tutors are George Green and Juliet McKenna and you can get details from Tynewydd here or from 01766 522811. It's a fabulous place to stay for a few days and the tuition is always first class. There are places still available.

Ditto the Arvon Foundation - I'm guest reading on a Writing for Teens course at Lumb Bank, Yorkshire, with tutors Malorie Blackman and Melvin Burgess. Details from Arvon here or 01422 843714.

I'm always interested in talking to groups at schools or libraries or festivals, so if anyone wants me, please contact my agents Pollinger for details.

Now I've finished the book I can dig my garden and plant potatoes. Enjoy the spring!
          Catherine