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Marcus Sedgwick - Children's Author
Marcus was our Guest Editor in July 2010. Click here to see all his selections.
Marcus began to write seriously in 1994, and his first book, Floodland, was published by Orion in 2000, and won the Branford-Boase award for best debut children's novel. Witch Hill followed in 2001, and was nominated for an Edgar Allan Poe Award.
The Kiss of Death is published in paperback in April 2009, and picks up a thread from his highly acclaimed My Swordhand is Singing (winner of the 2007 Booktrust Teenage Book Award). In between came what Marcus calls “my big one - a project I've been working on for so long my head hurts.” – Blood Red Snow White, which was first published to considerable acclaim in 2007.
2009 saw Marcus turn his attention to books for younger readers with the launch of a humorous new series: The Raven Mysteries, narrated by a grumpy raven, Edgar. Titles are Flood and Fang, Ghosts and Gadgets and Lunatics and Luck.
In his spare time, he is also a stone carver and wood engraver and illustrates all his novels! Marcus lives in Sussex with his wife and his daughter, Alice. Finally Marcus is also a drummer, and at the moment he plays in two bands: visit www.garrett-music.tv, and www.internationalbandofmystery.com to find out more.
Q&A with Marcus Sedgwick
Many of your novels are inspired by history and by myth and legend - have these areas always been a fascination of yours since childhood and if so how did this passion come about?
Yes, I always loved myths and legends - I used to read and re-read two books from the library - one a big illustrated edition of Greek Myths and the other Old Peter's Russian Tales. I don't know why I was fascinated by these stories, but maybe simply because I find them to be more glamorous than contemporary stories...
Apart from writing what are your passions?
I love music, both listening to it and playing it (I'm a drummer). A day without music is not a proper day... I also love travel and try to travel as much as I can manage.
Where did the idea come from for The Raven Mysteries?
It was a single line, the first line in the book in fact. I'd had it for ages but didn't know where I was going to use it until the character of Edgar came along: "I suspect I may have fleas again".
The Raven Mysteries are full of humour and mad-cap action, which is quite different from your novels for older readers. Was this a conscious decision of yours when setting out to write this series?
Absolutely, and it was great fun. After writing a few hardcore goth books, it was great to let my hair down with these stories. And it gave me fresh impetus to go back to the next YA novel, Revolver, with renewed determination to be gloomy!
Where and when do you write?
I write at the weekends, and mostly in the study in my loft, but also sometimes I travel to write - eg much of Revolver was written on trips to Sweden.
What age did you first start writing and when did you think that one day you'd write a novel that would actually be published?
I started to write as a teenager a bit, but properly when I was in my mid-twenties. It took a few years to think it might actually happen!
With both your publisher and author hat on, what advice can you give would-be children's authors in getting published?
The most important thing is to know your market! Who do you think your book is going to be read by? What else is out there that's like it? Are you writing something that will sell?
The historical context of most of your novels must mean a huge amount of research prior to writing each book. What does this involve and how long does it take?
It varies from book to book but it's not a chore as I love to do research. It's easier than actually writing the things! For Revolver, the research spanned about 16 months, of little trips here and there and lots and lots of reading!
What was your inspiration for Revolver ?
Finding an empty shell casing on the pavement in St Petersburg. It was a long way from there to the finished book but that was the start of it.
What was your favourite book as a teenager?
Without question, the Gormenghast trilogy by Mervyn Peake.
If you got into Doctor Who’s tardis, where (or when) would you go?
Great question, impossible to answer. So many amazing things to go and see – the building of the pyramids, a Viking boat putting out to sea, Man Utd winning the European Championship in 1968…
Who would you choose to be if you could be a celebrity for the day?
Matt Bellamy on any day with a gig.
If you were invisible for a day what would you do?
I’m invisible most days, so nothing much would change.
10 things you didn't know about Marcus Sedgwick
1 - I have an embarrassing middle name, but I'm not going to tell you what it is
2 - I am learning Swedish
3 - As well as playing the drums, I play bass guitar
4 - My grandfather invented the hydraulic tipper truck
5 - I have a pet raven called Edgar, though he doesn’t say much, eat much, or indeed, move much. There’s a possibility that he’s stuffed, I guess.
6 - I’m extraordinarily sleepy right now.
7 - I represented England (Juniors) at Fencing.
8 - I totally love football.
9 - I'm allergic to red peppers
10 - I believe there is only one radio or TV station worth listening to: Radio 3.
Author photo © Kate Christer
Featured Books, with extracts by Marcus Sedgwick
Marcus Sedgwick
Hilarious and madcap space adventures happen to Cudweed after he builds a spaceship from a kit and sets off into the unknown with only his pet monkey Fellah for company. What happens when he hurtles off into the unknown and...
Featured in: 5+ readers | 7+ readers | eBooks
Format: Paperback - Released: 05/07/2012
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Marcus Sedgwick
Shortlisted for the 2013 Leeds Book Award - July 2012 Book of the Month. Humour, magic and the altogether unexpected are woven together engagingly to create a delightfully original adventure. Elf Girl and Raven Boy meet by chance and soon...
Featured in: 7+ readers | Book Awards
Format: Paperback - Released: 05/07/2012
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Marcus Sedgwick
Shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal 2013 May 2012 Book of the Month. Prize-winning Marcus Sedgwick's gift for powerful storytelling is at its very best in this emotionally charged, no holds barred novel. When journalist Eric Seven arrives on...
Featured in: 14+ readers | Book Awards | Carnegie/Greenaway | eBooks
Format: Paperback - Released: 03/05/2012
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Marcus Sedgwick
Prize-winning Marcus Sedgwick's gift for powerful storytelling is at its very best in this emotionally charged, no holds barred novel. When journalist Eric Seven arrives on Blessed Island with a mission to uncover a mystery he is immediately captivated by...
Featured in: 11+ readers | 14+ readers | Books of the Month | eBooks
Format: Hardback - Released: 06/10/2011
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Marcus Sedgwick
Prize-winning Marcus Sedgwick returns his readers to Castle Otherhand and the hilarious and unlikely topsy turvy goings on there. Things have gone from bad to worse at the Castle and now it is up for sale. As Solstice records in...
Featured in: 7+ readers | 9+ readers
Format: Hardback - Released: 06/10/2011
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Marcus Sedgwick
Goth Froth for Early Readers. Cudweed wants a monkey for his birthday in this brand new story featuring some of the characters that have proved such a hit in the Raven Mysteries series for slightly older kids but Cudweed's is...
Featured in: 5+ readers | 7+ readers | Books for Boys
Format: Paperback - Released: 01/07/2011
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Marcus Sedgwick
Shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal 2011 Packed full of suspense, this is a tingling and chilling Gothic thriller in which nothing can quite be taken for granted. Rebecca is forced to abandon her bustling life in London for the unfamiliar...
Featured in: 11+ readers | 14+ readers | Book Awards | eBooks
Format: Paperback - Released: 07/04/2011
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Marcus Sedgwick
Winner of the Blue Peter Book Award 2011: Most Fun Story with Pictures*. As told by a raven, this Gothic horror richly laced in humour is a delicious read – especially when the moon is full! Castle Otherhand is beset by...
Featured in: 7+ readers | 9+ readers | Book Awards | eBooks
Format: Paperback - Released: 03/03/2011
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Marcus Sedgwick
Join the wonderfully weird Otherhand family and their faithful guardian, Edgar the raven, and discover the dark secrets of Castle Otherhand. A trip to the circus has far-reaching consequences for the Otherhands when Fellah goes missing. Before long the Castle...
Featured in: 7+ readers | 9+ readers
Format: Hardback - Released: 03/03/2011
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Marcus Sedgwick
There is hilarious fun to be had in these mystery stories about the original, not to say odd, family who live in Otherhand Castle. Told by Edgar the Raven whose views are sharp even if his perspective is unusual, the...
Featured in: 7+ readers | 9+ readers
Format: Paperback - Released: 06/01/2011
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Marcus Sedgwick
This is the fourth title in a brilliant series of quirky tales for 7+ year olds featuring Edgar the faithful raven and the strange Otherhand family who live in Otherhand Castle. Meet Minty who is all in a fluster about...
Featured in: 7+ readers | 9+ readers | eBooks
Format: Hardback - Released: 07/10/2010
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Marcus Sedgwick
A Richard and Judy Children's Book Club selection 2011 - Read by Yourself category 7+. Told from the bird’s eye view of a resident raven, this is a deliciously topsy-turvy comedy full of unusual details. The Otherhand family are far from...
Featured in: 7+ readers | 9+ readers
Format: Paperback - Released: 07/10/2010
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Marcus Sedgwick
Shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal 2011 Packed full of suspense, this is a tingling and chilling Gothic thriller in which nothing can quite be taken for granted. Rebecca is forced to abandon her bustling life in London for the unfamiliar...
Featured in: 11+ readers | 14+ readers | eBooks
Format: Hardback - Released: 01/07/2010
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Marcus Sedgwick
Shortlisted for the prestigious Teenage Book Prize 2010. Shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal 2010, the Independent Booksellers' Book Prize 2010 and for the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize 2009. A tense, psychological drama set in the snowy wilderness of the Arctic Circle, where...
Featured in: 11+ readers | 14+ readers | Book Awards | Books for Boys | eBooks
Format: Paperback - Released: 23/04/2010
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Marcus Sedgwick
Winner of the Blue Peter Book Award 2011: Most Fun Story with Pictures*. As told by a raven, this Gothic horror richly laced in humour is a delicious read – especially when the moon is full! Castle Otherhand is beset by...
Featured in: 7+ readers | 9+ readers | Book Awards | eBooks
Format: Hardback - Released: 04/03/2010
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Marcus Sedgwick
There is hilarious fun to be had in these mystery stories about the original, not to say odd, family who live in Otherhand Castle. Told by Edgar the Raven whose views are sharp even if his perspective is unusual, the...
Featured in: 9+ readers
Format: CD-Audio - Released: 04/03/2010
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Marcus Sedgwick
There is hilarious fun to be had in these mystery stories about the original, not to say odd, family who live in Otherhand Castle. Told by Edgar the Raven whose views are sharp even if his perspective is unusual, the...
Featured in: 9+ readers
Format: Hardback - Released: 01/10/2009
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Marcus Sedgwick
Shortlisted for the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize 2009 A tense, psychological drama set in the snowy wilderness of the Arctic Circle, where a boy confronts a stranger who has come to take revenge on his dead father. Gripping from the start...
Featured in: 11+ readers | 14+ readers | Book Awards | eBooks
Format: Hardback - Released: 16/07/2009
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Marcus Sedgwick
CD - Audio. Read by Martin Jarvis. Told from the bird’s eye view of a resident raven, this is a deliciously topsy-turvy comedy full of unusual details. The Otherhand family are far from normal and life in Otherhand Castle is distinctly...
Featured in: 7+ readers | 9+ readers
Format: Cd-audio - Released: 02/04/2009
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Marcus Sedgwick
Marcus Sedgwick returns with a heart-stopping, beautifully crafted novel featuring Peter from My Swordhand is Singing, set many years later but still on the trail of the Shadow Queen. Venice, the fabled city with its lapping waterways, crumbling magnificence, and dark twisting alleyways...
Featured in: 11+ readers | eBooks
Format: Paperback - Released: 02/04/2009
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Marcus Sedgwick
A Richard and Judy Children's Book Club selection 2011 - Read by Yourself category Told from the bird’s eye view of a resident raven, this is a deliciously topsy-turvy comedy full of unusual details. The Otherhand family are far from...
Featured in: 9+ readers
Format: Hardback - Released: 12/03/2009
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Marcus Sedgwick
Marcus Sedgwick returns with a heart-stopping, beautifully crafted novel featuring Peter from My Swordhand is Singing, set many years later but still on the trail of the Shadow Queen. Venice, the fabled city with its lapping waterways, crumbling magnificence, and...
Featured in: 11+ readers | eBooks
Format: Hardback - Released: 01/09/2008
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Marcus Sedgwick
Revolution! Arthur Ransome, an English journalist and writer, sets off for Russia and soon finds himself at the heart of a network of spies and so swept up in extreme danger as Trotsky and Lenin bring down the Tsars and...
Featured in: 11+ readers | 14+ readers | eBooks
Format: Paperback - Released: 29/05/2008
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Marcus Sedgwick
Shortlisted for the Costa Children's Book Award 2007. The true story of master storyteller Arthur Ransome provides the background for this large scale and absorbing story. As a young man, Ransome was a journalist and, some thought, a spy, in...
Featured in: 11+ readers | 14+ readers | Book Awards
Format: Hardback - Released: 05/07/2007
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Marcus Sedgwick
Winner of the Book Trust Teenage book award 2007 and shortlisted for the 2007 Carnegie Award and our favourite to win the award. Highly readable yet thought-provoking, mysterious yet chilling, and so perfectly paced that it is totally unputdownable. The quality of...
Featured in: 11+ readers | 9+ readers | Book Awards | eBooks
Format: Paperback - Released: 03/05/2007
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Marcus Sedgwick
Winner of the Booktrust Teenage Prize 2007. Hugh (12) - I loved it! I loved it even more than I loved The Book of Dead Days (another of Marcus Sedgwick’s thrilling novels). Normally I don’t like horror books but this...
Featured in: 11+ readers | 9+ readers | Book Awards | eBooks
Format: Hardback - Released: 26/07/2006
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Marcus Sedgwick
No child who reads this will ever sanction a war if they can help it. Marcus brings the horrors of World War One to life in fiction in the most dramatic of ways. It really is completely compelling,...
Featured in: 11+ readers | eBooks
Format: Paperback (b Format) - Released: 04/05/2006
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Marcus Sedgwick
A brilliant, dark and compelling read that cleverly interweaves the story of a 17th century witch into the life of a boy whose world is forever haunted by fire, for his family home was destroyed by it as was his...
Featured in: 11+ readers | eBooks
Format: Paperback (b Format) - Released: 01/07/2005
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Marcus Sedgwick
This is the stunning conclusion to The Book of Dead Days, a sweeping gothic fantasy that is packed with mystery and intrigue and the loose ends from the earlier book are brought together brilliantly into a story that is both...
Featured in: 11+ readers | eBooks
Format: Paperback (b Format) - Released: 28/04/2005
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Marcus Sedgwick
An intriguing, action-packed, highly readable story that has a twist in it that you’ll never guess. The characters are beautifully drawn and the storyline very original. If you’re not into fantasy this is the author to get you into it...
Featured in: 11+ readers | Bookshelf Essentials | eBooks
Format: Paperback (b Format) - Released: 03/05/2004
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Marcus Sedgwick
Compelling and gripping, beautifully crafted with a narrative that will stick in your mind long after you’ve finished. It’s a powerful story of magic and betrayal in a distant past whilst at the same time has a timeless ingredient to...
Featured in: 11+ readers | eBooks
Format: Paperback (b Format) - Released: 15/05/2003
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Marcus Sedgwick
This was hailed as one of the most extraordinary debuts when it was first published in 2000. Set in the near future on the east coast of England that has been reclaimed by the sea it tells the story of...
Featured in: 11+ readers | eBooks
Format: Paperback (b Format) - Released: 02/03/2000
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