Elizabeth Laird was born in New Zealand in 1943 but she grew up in London. She has lived in many parts of the world, including Ethiopia, Malaysia, Iraq and Lebanon. She now lives in Britain with her husband, David McDowall, who writes on the Middle East. Their two grown-up children come and go from time to time.
Elizabeth began her writing career by writing stories and textbooks for speakers of other languages who were learning English. When her own children were small, she started writing children's books, and has been a full time writer for some years. Her inspiration comes from many places, from her own childhood, and from her travels.
