Chris d'Lacey was born in Malta. However, he has lived the majority of his life in Leicester. After graduating from York University with a biology degree, he went to Leicester University where he has worked for the past twenty-two years as a research scientist.

Chris never had plans to become a writer (his teenage wish was to become a famous songwriter!).

Chris has published books with Orchard Books, Transworld, Scholastic and Egmont. His first children's book Fly, Cherokee, Fly was highly commended for the 1999 Carnegie Medal. However, Chris claims his own favourite is The Fire Within which took him fifteen years to write and is a mixture of stories, one of which he was writing for his wife Jay as a surprise present. Icefire, continues the story of David Rain, the main character in The Fire Within, as he embarks on a journey that draws him into the very heart of the legend of dragons, the arctic world and the ancient secret of Icefire. These two best-selling titles have been followed by Fire Star. In this terrifying climax to the series, David finds himself racing against time to prevent Gwilanna, the evil sybil, from resurrecting a real dragon.

Chris lives with his wife in Leicester. He is a keen Leicester City fan and has ambitions to visit the Arctic, fly in a space shuttle, own a racehorse, have a record on Top of the Pops and beat his six year old nephew on the Playstation! You can visit Chris d'Lacey's website at www.icefire.co.uk

"A delightful story which skillfully blends realism and magic into a very satisfying conclusion." - Carousel

"An involving piece of storytelling in which perfectly plausible worlds collide." - The Scotsman

"Chris d'Lacey deftly weaves the various strands of the plot with great sensitivity and humour. Readers will be utterly entranced, racing to the end, willing it to be happy." - TES Primary

Questions and Answers

What are your favourite children's books?
Paddington Bear! I also like Allan Ahlberg's longer fiction. But I think JRR Tolkien's The Hobbit would be my favourite children's book.

Which famous person would you like to meet and why?
John Lennon, because he was a wonderful songwriter. He is my all-time hero. I wouldn't mind bumping into Buffy the Vampire Slayer as well, but I'm not prepared to say why!

What is your perfect sandwich?
I'm very boring when it comes to sandwiches. I like Lancashire cheese, with lashings of brown sauce. My sandwich fillings as a child consisted of peaches, crisps, sugar and liquorice torpedos. I've always been weird.

Which animal would you like to be and why?
A polar bear, because, let's face it, no one messes with a polar bear, do they? As a kid, I could never handle the cold and snow (I got terrible chilblains). I believe that polar bears have nice, snug, furry coats. Don't fancy their diet much, though. Seal sandwiches? I'll stick with my cheese.

What is your earliest childhood memory?
I can't remember! Seriously, I have very few memories of childhood (and I don't recall dreams, either). Apparently, I was dropped down a flight of steps when I was six weeks old - and bounced. I do remember being shouted at for dropping litter in my school yard. Perhaps this is why they have never asked me to go back and do an author visit...?

Bibliography

Fire Star The Fire Within Icefire The Salt Pirates of Skegness Shrinking Ralph Perfect

Copyright © 2006: The Watts Publishing Group.