Malorie Blackman born in London in 1962 is an award winning author of literature for children and young adults. Blackman qualified in Computer Science and followed a successful career in computing, before becoming a writer at the age of 28. She has written over 50 books and her novel Pig-Heart Boy was adapted into a BAFTA winning serial. Her stage play, The Amazing Birthday, was performed at the Polka Theatre in 2002.