Yvonne Coppard

Yvonne Coppard was a secondary-school teacher for some years and then a child-protection adviser, cramming her writing career into whatever gaps could be snatched between her family and professional lives. Her first published book Room for One More was written under the pen name Beth Miller and was an autobiographical account of her experiences as a foster mother. Success with two early award-winning books for children (Bully and Not Dressed Like That, You Don’t) brought the opportunity to develop further as an author.

Primarily known as a children’s writer, Yvonne has also written short stories, film and book reviews for a variety of magazines and for the BBC’s children’s television; she also writes non-fiction books and papers in the fields of creative writing and the protection of children. Her latest book, written in collaboration with fellow children’s author Linda Newbery, is Writing Children’s Fiction: a writers’ and artists’ companion (published by Bloomsbury). Yvonne lives in Peterborough but travels widely across the UK to promote the power of reading and writing, both fiction and non-fiction, whenever she gets the chance.