(Children's fiction writer) Jackie Burke

Jackie Burke grew up with her sister and three brothers in south county Dublin, Ireland. She first fell in love with writing in elementary school where classic fantasy fiction inspired her to craft her own stories. The world of myths and legends, magic and nature were recurring themes in her choice of reading and writing. As for many authors who come to publish later in life, the road to 'Grindlewood" was interrupted in the 1980's by things like finishing school, getting a job and building a career.

Having gone to university as a mature student, the writing bug bit again. It was only in 2011 though that the idea for Grindlewood took root and she threw herself wholeheartedly into her stories. Although 'The Secrets of Grindlewood' is her first book, Book 2 in the Grindlewood series will be out in Spring, 2014.

She says of the moment she discovered she simply had to write, "I was tossing around a few character ideas involving a dog, a cat, a fox and a rabbit and the story just took off. I just couldn't stop writing. Soon I had notebooks in every room, a folder full of ideas and was getting up several times a night to get the ideas down on paper. I'm so pleased to have completed my first book and hope that young readers will take pleasure in reading it."

Jackie and her husband live in Bray, County Wicklow, where they share their home with a big fluffy cat called Millie.