"* On The Drowning Pond the Guardian said: 'Bitingly plausible... a gripping page-turner'; the Glasgow Herald said: 'Expertly crafted... characters full of bite.' * On Tug of War the Independent said: 'Another gripping story... from an author who never disappoints'; Books for Keeps said: 'A raw and perceptive story'; Sunday Telegraph said 'Delicious'. * On Firestarter the Bookseller said: 'A gripping and edgy thriller that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat.' * On Skarrs the Guardian said: 'A novel that is both troubling and inspirational.' * On Fat Boy Swim, The Times said: 'Powerful, empowering...crackles with teenage anger and pain.' The Sunday Telegraph said: (this book) 'should be force-fed to every secondary school child in the country.'"

Catherine Forde was discovered on the slush pile. Before turning to writing full time, she worked as a lexicographer for Collins and taught in secondary schools. She lives in Glasgow with her husband and two sons. All her books have received wide acclaim and Fat Boy Swim won the Grampian Children's Book Award and was shortlisted for the Blue Peter Award and Booktrust Teenage Prize; The Drowning Pond was nominated for the Scottish Book Award and shortlisted for the Manchester Book Award; and Skarrs was longlisted for the Carnegie. Catherine's new thriller Sugarcoated is published in April 2008.