We’re always excited to hear the latest news from our writers and illustrators since their anthology debut! Find out what they’re up to now and check out some of the amazing 440+ titles published since the first Undiscovered Voices!
This list is alphabetical covering all finalists with surnames G to M. The year of the anthology and the finalist’s category is included with each entry.
- Discover our finalists A to F here
- Discover our finalists N to Z here
- Download a free copy of previous anthologies here
Emily George (Writer – UV 2010)
After being included in the UV 2010 Undiscovered Voices anthology, Emily began to (slowly!) redraft her young adult novel From Darkness following incredibly helpful advice from interested agents and publishers.
Emily is currently completing a doctorate in Child and Educational Psychology, but still finds some time to write, working on From Darkness and various short stories.
Harriet Goodwin (Writer – UV 2008)
Harriet Goodwin was born within the sound of Bow Bells, but spent most of her childhood in rural Kent, where she specialised in building dens and bonfires.
She reluctantly grew up and read medieval English at Oxford before training as a professional singer.
She now divides her time between singing and writing, and lives in the Staffordshire countryside with her husband and four children.
Books: The Boy Who Fell Down Exit 43 (Stripes 2009), Gravenhunger (Stripes 2011), The Hex Factor (Stripes 2012), and The Hex Factor: Dark Tide (Stripes September 2013). Also two books for Collins’ Big Cat educational reading scheme – Beneath the Waves (2012) and The Black Dog (2013).
Awards: Winner: Bedfordshire Children’s Book of the Year. Shortlisted: Blue Peter Book Award; Cheshire Schools’ Book; East Sussex Children’s Book Award; Coventry Inspiration Book Awards; Tower Hamlets Book Award; New Horizon Dorset Young People’s Book Award; Southwark Book Award; Stockport Schools’ Book Award; Stockton Children’s Book Award; Warwickshire Children’s Book Award; Lancashire Library Services Fantastic Book Award; Nottinghamshire Brilliant Book Award; The Oldham Book Award; Leeds Book Award; Hillingdon School Book of the Year; Red House Children’s Book Award.
Website: www.harrietgoodwinbooks.com
Candy Gourlay (Writer – UV 2008)
Candy Gourlay has been a journalist, press photographer, web designer, short film maker, radio presenter (well, once) and fake American accent voice talent.
She once helped overthrow a dictator (with several million other people).
She has now forsworn revolutionary activity to become a children’s author.
Books: Tall Story (David Fickling Books 2010), and Shine (David Fickling Books 2013).
Awards: Shine – Nominated for the Guardian Fiction Prize. Winner of the Crystal Kite Prize for 2014. Tall Story – Fifty Best Diverse Books since 1950, Winner of the Crystal Kite Prize for Europe 2011, Winner of the National Book Award of the Philippines 2012, Kirkus Outstanding Children’s Debut of 2011, Carnegie Medal Longlist, Waterstone Children’s Book Prize Shortlist, Blue Peter My Favourite Story Shortlist, Branford Boase Shortlist, UKLA Children’s Book Prize Shortlist, Sakura Medal Shortlist (Japan), The Brilliant Book Award Shortlist (Nottinghamshire), New Horizons Book Award Shortlist (Dorset), Tower Hamlets Book Prize Shortlist, Salford Book Prize Shortlist, Warwickshire Primary Book Prize Shortlist, Stockport Schools Book Award Shortlist (KS2), Leeds Book Awards Shortlist (11-14 Category), Hillingdon Secondary School Book of the Year Shortlist.
Agent: Hilary Delamere, The Agency
Twitter: @candygourlay
Website: candygourlay.com
Blog: Notesfromtheslushpile.com
Sara Grant (Writer – UV 2008)
Sara Grant has inspired, written or edited nearly 100 books for children. Her newest book – Chasing Danger – is an action-adventure series for tweens. Sara teaches Goldsmiths University’s master’s class on writing for children/teens. She co-created Undiscovered Voices and continues to serve on the planning committee. She offers events for writers through Book Bound.
Books: Chasing Danger (Scholastic, 2016), Chasing Danger: Mystery at the Ice Hotel (Scholastic, 2016), Dark Parties (Little, Brown US and Orion UK 2010/2011), Half Lives (Little, Brown US and Orion UK 2013), and the Magic Trix series (Orion 2013-2014) – The Witching Hour (Mar 2013), Flying High (Mar 2013), Birthday Wishes (May 2013), Magic Mayhem (July 2013), Secrets and Spies (Jan 2013) and Magic Mansion (Mar 2013).
Awards: Dark Parties won the SCBWI Crystal Award for Europe
Agent: Jenny Savill, Andrew Nurnberg Associates
Twitter: @authorsaragrant
Website: Sara-grant.com
Blog: Edge Authors Blog
David Gray (Illustrator – UV 2014)
Dave started out as a graphic designer and works as a commercial illustrator. Since becoming a finalist in Undiscovered Voices, he has found a literary agent and is excited to be developing several picture book ideas.
Agent: Louise Burns, Andrew Mann
Twitter: @iamdavegray
Website and Twitter: www.iamdavegray.com
Sandra Greaves (Writer – UV 2012)
Sandra Greaves was born in Edinburgh and lives in Devon.
Formerly in journalism, TV and communications, she now works as a copywriter (and is also an award-winning poet).
She and her husband keep several badly-behaved chickens on a smallholding midway between the moor and the sea.
Books: The Skull in the Wood (Chicken House, 2013)
Awards: The Skull in the Wood: nominated for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 2014, Shrewsbury Bookfest Children’s Book Award 2014 and the Brilliant Book Award 2015.
Agent: Anna Power, Johnson & Alcock
Twitter: @sandra_greaves
Simon James Green (Writer – UV 2016)
Simon James Green is an award-winning author and screenwriter.
He writes picture books, middle-grade and YA and his novels have been published internationally.
Books: Noah Can’t Even (Scholastic, 2017), Noah Could Never (Scholastic, 2018), Penguins (Proud Book anthology, Stripes, 2019) (Stripes, 2019), Alex in Wonderland (Scholastic, 2019), Llama Glamarama (Scholastic, 2020), Heartbreak Boys (Scholastic, 2020), Life of Riley: Beginner’s Luck (Scholastic, 2020), Fabulous Frankie (Scholastic, 2021), and You’re the One That I Want (Scholastic, 2021).
Awards: Blue Peter Book Award – shortlisted; Nominated for the Carnegie Medal; Winner – Wirral Schools Book of the Year; Amazing Book Awards – Bronze; Leeds Book Awards – shortlisted; Branford Boase Award – longlisted; Teen Book Awards – longlisted.
Agent: Jo Moult, Skylark Literary Agency.
Website: www.simonjamesgreen.com
Twitter: @simonjamesgreen
Instagram: @simonjamesgreen
Julia Groves (Illustrator – UV 2012)
Julia was selected for the new illustration category, since then she has graduated from the MA in Children’s Book Illustration at Cambridge School of Art and has been fulfilling her dream of becoming a children’s book illustrator.
She lives in Norwich, the beautiful medieval City of Stories with her arty, musical family and divides her time between illustrating picture books and working as a college lecturer.
Books: Animal Babies in the River, Animal Babies in the Meadow, Animal Babies in the Mountain, and Animal Babies in the Forest (Child’s Play International 2016 UK/USA), Rainforest (Child’s Play International 2017 UK/USA), I See the Sea (Child’s Play International 2021 UK/USA), and Milly Cow Gives Milk (Scallywag Press 2021 UK).
Awards: Outstanding Merit from Bank Street College of Education, New York’s Best Books of the Year list 2018. Shortlisted: The 2016 Progressive Preschool Awards (Best Pre-School Publishing Range). Longlisted: Cogan Biodiversity Picture Book Award 2020 in the UK.
Twitter: @julia2groves
Website: juliagroves.tumblr.com
Instagram: @juliagrovesillustrator
David Hall (Writer – UV 2018)
David lives in the Midlands. Specifically, without being smart enough to buy a bookcase, beneath a wall of books so large Jon Snow keeps trying to defend it.
When he’s not reading or writing, he enjoys football, poker and running.
Mostly away from writing synopses but sometimes just for fun.
Dale Hannah (Writer – UV 2018)
Dale Hannah has a passion for writing funny middle-grade fiction; he is especially fond of puns.
Dale has previously won a Northern Writers’ Award and the Commonword Diversity Prize, along with longlistings for both the Times Chicken House Prize and the Bath Children’s Novel Award.
He’s partial to Maltesers.
Jane Hardstaff (Writer – UV 2012)
Jane longed to be an artist, but somehow became a TV producer.
She grew up in Wiltshire with her brothers, hunting mayfly-nymphs with her father, reading stories with her mother. Now she lives in London’s East End, near the great, wild River Thames – inspiration for her first book.
Books: The Executioner’s Daughter (Egmont, 2014/Lerner Books USA, 2016) and River Daughter (Egmont, 2015)
Awards: Longlisted: Branford Boase Award. Shortlisted: Oxfordshire Book Award and the Salford Children’s Book Award. Winner: Primary Teacher Awards 2014 and the Salisbury Schools Book Award 2016. Selected for USBBY Outstanding International Books List 2017
Agent: Gillie Russell, Aitken Alexander
Website: www.janehardstaff.com
Twitter: @JaneHardstaff
Clare Harlow (Writer – UV 2020)
Once upon a time Clare was an actress. Now she works as an English tutor and is the loyal servant of the grumpiest cat in south-east London.
She (Clare, not the cat) is an active member of SCBWI, and has been longlisted for the Bath Children’s Novel Award and the Mslexia Children’s Novel Competition and selected twice for the Write Mentor Summer Programme.
Agent: Amber Caravéo, Skylark Literary
Steve Hartley (Writer – UV 2008)
Winning the 2008 Undiscovered Voices competition enabled Steve to give up his proper job and become a full-time author.
Eleven books and countless school visits later, he’s taking a break from children’s books to write scripts with his wife and daughter, under the collective name “Pig in a Ginnel”.
Books: Danny Baker Record Breaker series (Macmillan Children’s Books) – The World’s Biggest Bogey (2010), The World’s Awesomest Airbarf (2010), The World’s Loudest Armpit Fart (2010), The World’s Stickiest Earwax (2010), The World’s Itchiest Pants (2011), The World’s Windiest Baby (2011), Danny Baker’s Silly Olympics: The Wibbly Wobbly Jelly Belly Flop (2012) The Oliver Fibbs series (Macmillan Children’s Books) – Oliver Fibbs: Attack of the Alien Brain (2013), Oliver Fibbs and the Giant Boy-Munching Bugs (2013), Oliver Fibbs and the Abominable Snow Penguin (2014) and Oliver Fibbs and the Clash of the Mega Robots (2014); Audio – Amy Warburton’s Most Unusual Pet, and He Should Have Listened to Granddad for Derian Dreams, Derian House Children’s Hospice (2016).
Awards: Winner: Surrey Libraries Children’s Book of the Year 2014; Long-listed: Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize 2010; Doncaster Children’s Book Awards 2015.
Website: www.stevehartley.net
Ian Harvey-Brown (Writer – UV 2008)
My entry in the inaugural UV2008 was a short story (unlike most which were extracts of complete novels). It was called Not Quite Me. After the anthology was published, I tried to turn the story into a full-length novel. I decided I couldn’t. Then a couple of years ago (having left the story to gather dust), I went back through my drafts and suddenly the story came to me. It’s now called Vinny’s Girls. It’s part police procedural (think Line of Duty), part science fiction (Inception) and part mystery thriller (Shutter Island).
I’m not sure whether I will be able to find an agent or whether it will ever see the light of day. But it’s been fun trying and good for the soul.
Twitter: @IanHarveyBrown
Katie Hayoz (Writer – UV 2018)
Katie Hayoz was born in Racine, Wisconsin, but ended up in Geneva, Switzerland, where she lives with her husband, two daughters, and two fuzzy cats.
She devours YA and children’s books like she does popcorn and black licorice: quickly and in large quantities.
Books: 50 Amazing Swiss Women: True Stories You Should Know About (Bergli Books, 2021 – distributed in English, French and German) and Of Wicked Blood (Twig Publishing 2021).
Awards: Finalist in Mslexia children’s novel competition 2012
Website: www.katiehayoz.com
Twitter: @katiehayoz
Mary Hays (Illustrator – UV 2016)
Mary grew up in Australia and became a printmaker. After years engaged in seemingly unconnected occupations: travelling, teaching English, book selling, graphic design and motherhood, everything linked up when she did the MA in Children’s Book Illustration at the Cambridge School of Art.
Connecting words and pictures and collaborating with others satisfies a lifelong drive to see what is born when you combine two or more very different things.
Her illustration in the UV2016 anthology was called ‘The Fast Way Up’ illustrating Jack and the Tower Block.
Website: www.maryhays.com
Deborah Hewitt (Writer – UV 2012)
Deborah lives in Manchester with her two noisy dogs, and two noisier children.
Though she loves YA & MG, she’s jumped ship to a different age group and is currently editing her first adult fantasy manuscript.
Agent: Jemima Forrester, David Higham Associates.
Emma Higham (Writer – UV 2014)
Emma always wanted to be an actress but when cast as a panda in the school play, with her friends leaping by as gazelles, she started to rethink her career prospects.
She now makes theatre for and with young people, ensuring any pandas are treated as humanely as possible.
Agent: Kate Shaw, The Viney Agency.
Twitter: @HighamEmma
Website: www.emmahigham.net
Urara Hiroeh (Writer – UV 2020)
A lifelong fan of comics, sci-fi and fantasy, Urara had an international upbringing, moving from Japan, USA, England and finally to Scotland.
After doing time as a scientist, she’s now pursuing her lifelong dream of writing novels for teens.
When she’s free, she likes to walk the Highland hills.
David Hofmeyr (Writer – UV 2012)
David was born in South Africa and lives in London.
In 2013, he graduated with distinction from Bath Spa University with an MA in Writing for Young People.
He also works in Advertising as a Planner, although he’s not quite sure what that means.
Books: Stone Rider (Penguin, July 2015)
Awards: Winner: Grand Prix de L’imaginaire 2016 (a French SFF award), Prix Pepites 2015 at the Salon du Livre de Jeunesse de Montreuil in France. Shortlisted: Branford Boase Award (2016), Guardian Wow Factor (2005).
Agent: Stephanie Thwaites, Curtis Brown
Website: www.davidhofmeyr.com
Twitter: @dhofmeyr
Instagram: @dhofmeyr
Sandy Horsley (Illustrator – UV 2018)
Sandy is a printmaker and illustrator who likes to combine traditional printmaking with digital techniques. An MA in Children’s Book Illustration at Cambridge School of Art, led to her debut picture book, Selfie, being published in 2020.
She lives in Suffolk and likes nothing better than inky fingernails.
Books: Selfie (US edition: Capstone, 2020; UK edition: Raintree, 2021)
Awards: Moscow International Book Fair, Image of the Book – Diploma Award for Best Illustrations for Fiction, 2019; Noirwich Flash Fiction – longlisted writer, 2018; and Movable Book Society Emerging Paper Engineer – honourable mention, 2018.
Arts Residencies: Suffolk Libraries – Libraries in a Year 2019 – 2020
Website: sandyhorsley.com
Instagram: @sandyhorsley
Blog: sandyhorsley.com/blog
Amber Hsu (Illustrator – UV 2012)
Amber Hsu is a London-based writer, filmmaker, and visual artist.
She has written for the Royal Court, Orange Tree, and Islington Youth theatres, and with the National Theatre Studios and BBC Writer’s Room.
She is also the founder and creator of Tiny Pencil, an independent anthology artzine and press. Once, she also worked in a morgue.
Awards: Film London London Calling Award and 2012 3×3 Illustration Magazine Children’s Show Award.
Agent: Emily Hickman, The Agency
Twitter: @amberhsu
Website: www.amberhsu.com
Blog: www.amberhsu.com/blog
Andrea Ipaktchi (Illustrator – UV 2016)
Andrea Ipaktchi continues to draw, paint and write from her studio in Paris for both private and corporate commissions. She is an American with a degree from Parsons School of Design.
In 2020, she co-wrote a comedy script called Retreat which is currently in production with a hilarious cast of voice actors. The work was inspired by her printmaking residency at the Tyrone Guthrie Center for Arts. She continues to labor over a graphic novel for middle grade readers and an audio fiction script for the same story.
Audio Script: Retreat, an audio-fiction comedy (Currently in post production for Spring 2021 release).
Awards: 2015 Groupe Monte dei Fiori, affiliated with the Galérie Metanoia, Paris.
Arts residencies: 2019 Printmaking residency at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre (Annaghmakerrig, Ireland) and
2020 Printmaking residency at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre (Annaghmakerrig, Ireland).
Twitter: www.illustratrice.com
Instagram: @andrea_ipaktchi
Andrew James (Writer – UV 2022)
Teacher in collar and tie, writer in specs and pants, Andrew lives with his husband and Hugo the collie in Greenwich where he co-runs a successful writing group.
Determined to bring more queer families and protagonists to children’s literature, he is about to begin a PhD with that very focus.
Emily Jones (Illustrator – UV 2018)
Emily grew up in Tyneside and went on to study Illustration for Children’s book at the School of Creative Arts, Wrexham.
She now works as a freelance illustrator from her studio in Cardiff.
Her work is created digitally but loves to work with pencil, paper and paint whenever she can.
Agent: Chloe Davis, Darley Anderson Agency
Awards: Runner-up Jonathan Cape/Observer Graphic Short Story Prize 2017. Shortlisted for the Stratford-Salariya Picture Book Prize.
Website: www.emilybobdraws.com
Instagram: @emilybobdraws
Sharon Jones (Writer – UV 2012)
Sharon Jones has been writing since childhood.
While at university she worked in two independent bookshops where she developed a love of young adult fiction.
Having lived in Liverpool, Cambridge, Warwick and Colchester, she now lives in the West Midlands with her giant white poodle, Harvey.
Books: Dead Jealous (Orchard Books, July 2013) and Dead Silent (Orchard Books, Spring 2014)
Awards: Longlisted for The Sussex Coast Schools’ Amazing Books Award 2015
Agent: Jenny Savill, Andrew Nurnberg Associates
Twitter: @PoodlePowered
K L Kaine (Writer – UV 2022)
Brought up on David Attenborough documentaries, Katja finds the magic and mystery of the natural world utterly mesmerising.
Half Singaporean and half German, she has explored the world on aeroplanes and through her microscope, meeting orangutans, stingrays, water fleas and other friends.
Kathryn Kettle (Writer – UV 2018)
By day Kathryn is a global business person and general nerd wrangler; by night she writes novels, short stories and flash fiction.
She has been longlisted as part of the 2017 Bath Flash Fiction Award.
She is also a member of the Golden Egg Academy.
Books: The Boy I Am (Little Tiger Press, 2021)
Agent: James Wills, Watson Little
Website: www.klkettle.com
Heather Kilgour (Illustrator – UV 2012)
Heather studied fine art to master’s level in Australia and New Zealand.
She met many talented people while working as a film sculptor on Lord of the Rings and this inspired her to write and illustrate picture books.
On moving to the UK in 2007 Heather joined SCBWI as a means to further this dream.
Her illustration for the Undiscovered Voices 2012 Anthology was entitled “Talking with Birds”.
Website: heatherkilgour.com
Blog: biglittletale.tumblr.com
Rachel Latham (Writer – UV 2012)
Rachel lives amongst the green hills and sheep of Cumbria.
She has an abiding love of fantasy, dragons and wolves.
She was ecstatic when the opening of To Dance With The Wind won a place in the Undiscovered Voices Anthology.
She continues to weave words into stories and enjoys the support of local SCBWI members on her writing journey.
Twitter: @LathamRachel
Rachel Lovatt (Illustrator – UV 2018)
Rachel Lovatt is an illustrator based in the Peak District.
Since completing her MA in Children’s Book Illustration at the Cambridge School of Art, she has exhibited widely.
Storytelling is at the heart of Rachel’s practice, and she employs hand painting, drawing and collage techniques to create her work.
Cara Lovelock (Writer – UV 2022)
Cara lives in a medieval cottage in Dedham Vale, Suffolk with her family. She now writes adult murder mystery under C L Miller.
Cara was WriteMentor2020 summer mentee and had an honorary mention in UV2020. Since UV2022, Cara has moved away from writing for children.
Books: The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder (Pan Macmillan, February 2024)
Agent: Hannah Todd at Madeleine Milburn
Em Lynas (Writer – UV 2012)
Em is the author of funny fiction and poetry for 4-10 yrs and an active member of the SCBWI.
As well as winning a UV place for To Destiny or Death in 2012, she also created the funEverse: an online poetry website where SCBWI poets respond poetically to the illustrations of internationally renowned illustrators. She loves to blog on writing techniques and secretly laughs out loud at her own work.
Em Lynas was featured in the 2013 Anthology as Maureen Lynas.
Agent: Amber Caraveo, The Skylark Agengy
Books: The Toadspit Towers series (Nosy Crow Aug 2017), and The Action Words Reading Scheme (Action Words, 2004)
Twitter: @maureenlynas
Websites: emlynas.weebly.com, thefuneverse.com, and actionwords.co.uk
Blog: Notesfromtheslushpile Blog
Lisa Mann (Writer – UV 2010)
Lisa Mann lives in Norfolk where she divides her time between painting, writing middle grade fiction and teaching creative writing to Gifted and Talented Children.
Last year she discovered the joys of Taekwondo and is on her way to earning her Blue Belt. She is a SCBWI volunteer and helps to run a local art gallery.
Lisa Mann was featured in the 2010 Anthology as Lisa Joy Smith.
Agent: Gillie Russell, Aitken Alexander
Websites: www.paintedwithlovebylisa.co.uk
Michael Mann (Writer – UV 2020)
Teacher by day, dad by night, Michael mostly writes when he should be
sleeping.
He owes the idea for *Ghostcloud* to his coal-mining grandad and a lifelong
love of cloudspotting.
He lives in London with his (patient) partner Joe and their (less patient)
toddler, and can be found playing board games when he’s not busy losing his
wallet.
Books: Ghostcloud (Hachette, October 2021), Nightspark (Hachette, February 2023), The Faber Book of Bedtime Stories (Faber, October 2022)
Awards: Ghostcloud: AWaterstones Best Children’s book of 2021, BookTrust Great Books Guide 2022, Toppsta top 10 books of 2022 as voted by children, East Sussex Children’s Book Award Shortlist 2022, Salford Book Award Shortlist 2022, Oxfordshire Book Award Shortlist 2022. Also as an author: London Writers Award 2019, Bath Children’s Novel Award (Longlist 2019), Writementor Children’s Novel Award 2019 (Notable mention), Faber FAB Prize 2017 (Commended).
Agent: Stephanie Thwaites and Isobel Gahan, Curtis Brown
Twitter: @mikebmann
Instagram: @mikemannwrites
Website: michaelmann.co.uk
Tom Mann (Writer – UV 2022)
Growing up Tom wanted to be Indiana Jones, but instead his degree in Egyptology landed him a job in the film business.
He was a production executive for close to a decade. Now he’s a school librarian, so he gets to share his passion for storytelling with children every day.
Agent: Jo Williamson at Antony Harwood
Twitter: @TomGMann
Emma Mason (Writer – UV 2018)
Emma Mason is a former Detective Constable with Oxford CID but left after several unsuccessful years of trying to find Inspector Morse’s office.
She moved to Dorset to enjoy a more peaceful life where she was promptly burgled and hospitalised by a drink-driver.
Agent: Joanna Moult, Skylark Literary
Richard Masson (Writer – UV 2012)
Richard was born in east London and went to sea at an early age where he began writing as a hobby.
Forty years of rejections later he was selected for Undiscovered Voices in 2012 and signed his first book deal shortly afterwards.
Sadly, Richard passed away in November 2013.
Books: Boonie (Hot Key Books 2013)
Award: Runner-up, David St. John Thomas Award 2010
Agent: Anna Power, Johnson & Alcock
Website: www.richardmasson.com
Kirsty McKay (Writer – UV 2008)
Kirsty is thrilled to be a UV-propelled success story and to have books popping up on shelves all around the world. Her favourite subjects to write about include zombies and murderers for teens, and cross-dressing ogres for younger kids.
Originally from the north east of England, Kirsty is currently based in the USA, where she is developing a love of burritos and working on her twang.
Books: Undead (Chicken House, 2011), Unfed (Chicken House, 2012), Pausensnack, an ebook novella in the Undead series (Carlsen/Chicken House Germany, May 2013), and Ogres don’t Dance (Andersen Press, May 2014).
Awards: Shortlisted for Warwickshire Secondary Schools Book of the Year Award 2013
Agent: Veronique Baxter, David Higham Associates.
Twitter: @Kirkybean
Websites: www.kirstymckay.com and www.facebook.com/kirstymckaywriter
Helen MacKenzie (Writer – UV 2020)
Helen MacKenzie is a copywriter living near Edinburgh.
In 2017 she received a Scottish Book Trust New Writers’ Award. She has also been shortlisted for the Kelpies Prize and the Mslexia Children’s Novel Competition and longlisted in the Bath Children’s Novel Award.
She loves walking and cycling, coffee and cake.
Twitter: @W1shfulth1nker
Website: www.helenmackenzie.net
Jane McLoughlin (Writer – UV 2010)
Jane is originally from Minnesota, in the USA, but has lived in the UK for many years.
She is a writer and teacher, and is currently writing for both adults and children
Books: At Yellow Lake (Francis Lincoln, 2012) and Crowham Martyrs (Catnip Publishing, 2015)
Award: At Yellow Lake: Shortlisted: Amazing Book Awards. Longlisted: Branford Boase, Waterstones and Carnegie. The Crowham Martyrs: Shortlisted: Leeds Book Awards, Essex Book Awards. Longlisted: Waterstones.
Agent: Sallyanne Sweeney, MMB Creative
Twitter: @jbmcloughlin
Shirley-Anne McMillan (Writer – UV 2014)
Shirley-Anne McMillan is a writer and tutor from Co. Down, Northern Ireland. She also runs a Gay Straight Alliance group and an Integration project in a local high school.
Following the 2014 Undiscovered Voices anthology, Shirley signed with agent Jenny Savill at Andrew Nurnberg Associates.
Books: Widows’ Row (Amazon Create Space, 2012), A Good Hiding (Atom, 2016), The Unknowns (Atom 2017), and Every Sparrow Falling (Atom Sept. 2019)
Agent: Jenny Savill, Andrew Nurnberg Associates.
Twitter: @shirleyannemcm
Website: www.shirleyannemcmillan.com
Sarah Merrett (Writer – UV 2018)
Sarah has been writing children’s books all her adult life.
She’s worked in various children’s libraries and bookshops and has three degrees, including an MA in Writing for Children.
She now writes stories while her two children are at school, taking time out for walks, puzzles, films and reading.
Books: The Others (to be published by Everything With Words, Autumn 2024/ Spring 2025)
Twitter: @sjmerrett1
Catherine Miller (Writer – UV 2016)
Catherine Miller grew up in south-east London, reading everything and anything, including cereal boxes. After reading Classics at Oxford she lived in Greece for a year before returning to London to teach English in secondary schools. Catherine writes under the name Catherine Queen.
Her entry in the UV2016 anthology was called The Hunt Is On.
Website: www.catherinequeen.com
Twitter: @cathqueenwrites
John Morgan (Illustrator – UV 2016)
As a child, John Morgan discovered a love of writing and drawing – mixing words and pictures to make stories.
As a Keeper of Art and teacher, he studied the history of picture books. Following an MA in Writing for Children, he is developing his own illustrations and picture book ideas.
His illustration on the UV2016 anthology was called ‘The Giant Was Furious With Jack’ illustrating Jack and the Tower Block
Hannah Mosley (Illustrator – UV 2018)
Hannah Mosley tells stories on paper and screen for small folk, and on skin for big folk.
When not illustrating, writing or tattooing, she can be found up a trapeze, adventuring on bikes, or being a real-life wicked stepmother.
She lives in Manchester, England.
Angela Murray (Writer – UV 2020)
Angela Murray is from Glasgow but now lives in Hamburg.
She studied film and went on to work as a camera assistant before making her own short films.
These won many prizes at children’s film festivals around the world.
Website: www.fraumurray.com
Twitter: @frau_murray
Why not check out other previous Undiscovered Voices
- Discover our finalists A to F here
- Discover our finalists N to Z here
- Download a free copy of previous anthologies here