I was born in Manchester and have lived in Wigan for the past 40 years. I am a qualified teacher specialising in the primary age range but I am also qualified to teach other age groups and I have done many workshops for teachers, specialising in teaching writing. I also ran a writing workshop for Y5 and Y6 at a local primary school for 15 years. Writing and reading are abiding passions and for the past thirty years I have been a self employed writer. I have never been out of work in this time and there hasn’t been a year when I have not had a book published. Although I haven’t taught full time in this period I have been in schools each week to do research for my books or simply to be with children and talk. I also paint professionally and have illustrated many books. At home we have horses and dogs, a garden and I have a deep love of the countryside where I live. People interest me very much and I love listening in to conversations which can be better than a TV drama.

rhonawhitefordauthor.com & wildbooks4children.com

Adults: crime and psychological thrillers.

Children’s: supernatural thrillers, historical thrillers, horse tales

I have over 150 books published by UK publishers. This collection is mainly curriculum resources for primary teachers and also works for parents and children. During the time when I was working in the educational field I wrote for several national professional magazines, like Primary teacher Update, practical Pre-school, TES, Child Education and Art and Craft Magazine. I launched a small independent publishing company for my own fiction in 2013: Wild Dog Books Ltd and I have 14 fiction books for the 8-12 age range, all highly illustrated. I also have teacher resource books on Writing and Ancient Egypt. I have recently published my debut crime novel for adult readers, Breaking Points and I am delighted that this is being very well received..

As well as professional workshops for teachers I have recently started running workshops for adults who want to write books for children (How to write books for children) and also those who want to write for other adults, (Write that book) both held at a local, award winning garden centre (Barton Grange, Garstang) . I offer single introductory workshops or short workshop courses and all have been very well received and well attended. I have more booked for the future.

Elizabeth Gates, author. (see your historical authors’ list) email: egates3@gmail.com

Any size

Children: Y5 and Y6

Adults: any age

English

North West and North Cheshire, Anglesey, North Wales