Jonathan Stroud was born in Bedford and grew up in St Albans. He studied at York University. He has a strong background in children’s books. While writing his earlier novels, Buried Fire, The Leap and The Last Siege, he worked as an editor in a London publishing firm, editing a number of game books and non-fiction titles.

Now, with the worldwide interest in the best-selling Bartimaeus trilogy, he devotes himself to writing full-time. He also travels extensively, promoting his books. Ptolemy’s Gate, the last title in the Bartimaeus trilogy, was longlisted for the Carnegie Medal. His latest novel, The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne, has been published in April 2021.

Jonathan lives in St Albans with his wife and three children.