Amber Deckers grew up beside the ocean in South Africa. After leaving school she developed her passion for English and Drama by studying film and became "hell bent on becoming a film director". After discovering that she was better at writing stories, however, Amber studied journalism part-time while working for an advertising agency, and later joined Marie Claire magazine as a features and fashion writer and book reviewer. Swapping the shores of the Africa for London, Amber was able to look with new eyes at the challenges and pressures facing today's youth - especially teens. In London she joined an independent film production company, with the idea of creating a television programme aimed at helping teens tackle the tricky issues with which they are faced. When the television programme was shelved, Amber decided to put her research and ideas into a novel. Ella Mental and the Good Sense Guide is the story that followed.

Fourteen-year-old Ella never leaves home without her Good Sense Guide, a book of her basic observations on how to survive life. So, when Pearl's boyfriend dumps her, Ella is the perfect person on hand to offer advice. But when Ella and her best friend, Toby start quarrelling, Ella's Good Sense Guide fails her for the first time. She'd been so busy looking out for everyone else that she hasn't realised what's been staring her in the face. In the hilarious sequel, Ella Mental: Live, Love and More Good Sense, Ella realises that there's a lot more to dating than meets the eye as she embarks on her first relationship with her best friend Toby. Amber lives in Surrey with her husband Craig and baby, Tay. She is currently working on her third novel for Orchard Books.

Bibliography

Ella Mental and the Good Sense Guide Ella Mental: Life, Love and More Good Sense Liberty Belle: I Love You, Goodbye (Feb 07)

Copyright © 2006: The Watts Publishing Group.