P.B. Kerr

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P.B. Kerr was born in Edinburgh in 1956 and attended a grammar school in Northampton. He studied law at the University of Birmingham from 1974 to 1980, achieving a master's degree. Kerr worked as an advertising copywriter for Saatchi and Saatchi before becoming a full-time writer in 1989. He has written for the Sunday Times, the Evening Standard and the New Statesman.

As well as being a children's novelist, P.B. Kerr is an author of adult fiction and non-fiction (under the name Philip Kerr). He is married to fellow novelist, Jane Thynne. They live in Wimbledon, London, and have three children: William, Charlie and Naomi.

Author's Comment: Q. What was your inspiration for the 'Children of the Lamp' series?

P.B. Kerr: Inspiration is a word I try to avoid. I never really feel inspired. When people talk about inspiration, I think of it as a little creature in the garden I go to see and grab to try to get it. Instead, I am a compulsive writer. I write every day.

I think of myself as Rembrandt when he painted 'The Feast of Belshazzar.' In this painting there is a hand with nothing attached to it that is writing on the wall. I think of myself as that writing. I hand write everything the first time. I do not type or work on a computer. The most portable writing system is a pencil and paper.

Nationality: British