Gillian Thompson

Gill Thompson is the author of four historical fiction novels, set in and around World War Two. The Oceans Between Us (Headline, 2019), about a child migrant to Australia, was longlisted for the Mslexia novel competition in 2015, runner up in the Words with Jam/ Triskele Books novel competition in 2016 and shortlisted for the Blue Pencil Agency First Novel award in 2017. The Child on Platform One (Headline, 2020), about a little girl on the Kindertransport, was a USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestseller. It topped the Bookseller’s Heatseekers Fiction Chart in March 2020 and has been translated into nine languages.

Gill’s short stories and flash fiction have appeared in a variety of publications. As a regular contributor to emag, a magazine for A Level English students, her articles range from ‘How to Use Quotations’ and ‘Textual Hybrids’, to a series on how children learn to talk. Gill hosts a creative writing website with blog articles on aspects of the writing process.

Gill has an M.A in Creative Writing from the University of Chichester. She has run several writing workshops and a particular highlight was co-leading a writing day at the Jane Austen House Museum.

Before becoming an author Gill taught English for forty years, mainly at sixth-form level. She especially enjoys working one to one with students, helping them to hone their essay-writing skills.

Gill lives with her husband in West Sussex. She has two children and three grandchildren.