Horrible Histories Special: Wicked Words Award-winning team by Terry Deary (author) and Philip Reeve (illustrator)

Born in Sunderland in 1946, Terry Deary lives in County Durham with his family. Terry’s early life was spent in his father’s butcher’s shop and his career in the arts began in 1972 at Theatre Powys in Mid Wales. He has worked as an actor, theatre-director, drama teacher and television presenter. Terry still acts with roles in British films and has appeared in the Horrible Histories TV, stage-shows and feature film. As an actor, Terry began writing scripts. One of his most successful was The Custard Kid which became his first novel in 1977. Terry has enjoyed over 40 years as an author, including over 80 titles in Horrible Histories the world’s bestselling children’s history series. He is also an author of fiction and non-fiction for adults. Terry is an ambassador for his home city of Sunderland and was made a Doctor of Education at Sunderland University.

Philip Reeve was born and raised in Brighton, where he worked in a bookshop for years while also producing and directing a number of no-budget theatre projects.

Philip then began illustrating and has since provided cartoons and jokes for around forty books, including the best-selling Scholastic series Horrible Histories, as well as Murderous Maths and Dead Famous.

He’s been writing stories since he was five, but Mortal Engines was the first to be published. Mortal Engines defies easy categorisation. It is a gripping adventure story set in an inspired fantasy world, where moving cities trawl the globe. A magical and unique read, it immediately caught the attention of readers and reviewers and won several major awards. Three more Hungry Cities novels followed, and Philip’s latest project are the Fever Crumb books, prequels set centuries before the events of Mortal Engines.

Philip has also written Buster Bayliss, a series for younger readers, and stand alone novels including Here Lies Arthur, which won the Carnegie Medal.

Philip lives in Devon with his wife and son and his interests are walking, drawing, writing and reading.