Deirdre Madden was born in Toome, Co. Antrim. She studied English Literature at Trinity College Dublin and then completed an MA in Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia. Deirdre quickly became an adult novelist and since 1985 has published six books, including The Birds of Innocent Wood for which she was awarded the Somerset Maugham Prize. One by One in the Darkness won the Kerry Book of the Year and was shortlisted for the Orange Prize. In 1997 Deirdre was Writer Fellow at Trinity College Dublin and over the years, in between her writing, she has taught university courses in creative writing. Deirdre has travelled extensively and has lived both in France and Italy. She is currently living in Dublin, working on two new adult novels and her second children's book. She is also teaching the MA in Creative Writing course at the Oscar Wilde Centre for Irish Writing at Trinity College Dublin.

Orchard Books were proud to publish Deirdre's first book for children, Snakes' Elbows. When world famous concert pianist, Barney, returns to live in the place that he was born, equally rich millionaire, Jasper, is worried that he'll be upstaged. He sets out to make life as difficult as possible for Barney - with hilarious and far-reaching consequences. Then a very special painting, the Angel, comes up for sale and Jasper is sure that buying it will reassert his position in the small town's society. But when he is outbid by Barney, Jasper is determined to exact his revenge... Deirdre is married to the Irish poet Harry Clifton.

Bibliography

Snakes' Elbows (Shortlisted for the CBI Bisto Book of the Year 2006 & winner of the Eilís Dillon Award 2006))

Copyright © 2006: The Watts Publishing Group.