Lyn Gardner was born in London and now lives near Richmond Park with her partner and two daughters. A theatre critic on The Guardian, she goes to the theatre five or six nights a week, which should leave no time for writing books at all. But apart from the Olivia books, she has also managed to write two other novels for children: Into the Woods and Out of the Woods. Her ambitions are to learn to tap dance and walk the high wire, but it may have to be the low wire as she is a bit scared of heights.