Catherine Coe

Catherine Coe is a children’s book author and editor with over forty books published, including the million-selling Blossom Wood series (Scholastic, 2015–2022). She is passionate about instilling a love of reading in young people; consequently, most of her books are for 5–8 year olds, when children usually become fluent readers. Catherine mainly writes adventure fantasy books, harnessing the power of stories to transport readers to incredible other worlds and inspiring children to let their imaginations run wild. She is especially motivated by the importance of ensuring that books are accessible and that young people see themselves represented in the books they read. 

Catherine has been an editor since 2001, working as a commissioning editor at Hodder Education and Hachette Children’s books before becoming a freelancer in 2011. She now commissions, edits and project-manages children’s and young adult books for a wide range of publishers. She also mentors writers, working with many who’ve gone on to become award-winning authors, including A. M. Dassu, Simon James Green and Jane Elson.

From a working-class background, Catherine is passionate about supporting writers from marginalised communities and making publishing a more diverse industry. She runs the All Stories programme, which she founded in 2021 — a mentorship and outreach scheme for aspiring children’s book authors from underrepresented groups, funded by Arts Council England. 

Catherine has lived in Suffolk, London, Belgium and Sweden, and now resides in the Norfolk countryside. In her spare time, she is a yoga teacher and apprentice beekeeper.

Audio from Catherine Coe