Tanya Landman is an English author of children's and young adult books. She is the niece of the actor Robert Shaw.

Early life and education

Tanya continued on to study

English literature English literature is literature written in the English language from the English-speaking world. The English language has developed over more than 1,400 years. The earliest forms of English, a set of Anglo-Frisian languages, Anglo-Frisian d ...

Liverpool University The University of Liverpool (abbreviated UOL) is a public research university in Liverpool, England. Founded in 1881 as University College Liverpool, Victoria University, it received Royal Charter by King Edward VII in 1903 attaining the de ...

, after which she held jobs at a zoo, an arts center, and a children's bookshop. She worked at Storybox Theatre as a performer, administrator, and writer. She has been a member of Storybox Theatre since 1992, serving in various capacities such as writer, administrator, and performer.

Career

Tanya was a fan of

Penelope Lively Dame Penelope Margaret Lively (née Low; born 17 March 1933) is a British writer of fiction for both children and adults. Lively has won both the Booker Prize (''Moon Tiger'', 1987) and the Carnegie Medal (literary award), Carnegie Medal for ...

's novels in which the past seeps into the present, most hauntingly in ''Astercote'' and ''The House in Norham Gardens'' but to great humorous effect in ''The Ghost of Thomas Kempe''. Before the inspiration for ''Waking Merlin'' struck, Tanya had no intention of becoming a writer. "Adventure stories with a sprinkle of magic and spoonful of humour" characterised her early works. However, Tanya then changed her focus to crime, penning ''Mondays are Murder'', the first of 10 "Agatha-Christies-for-kids." She writes for a wide age range of readers, but her young adult historical thrillers are arguably her most well-known works.

North Devon North Devon is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district in Devon, England. Its council is based just outside Barnstaple, the district's largest town. The district also includes the towns of Ilfracombe, Lynton and Lynmouth and Sout ...

's striking coastline served as inspiration for both the historical thriller ''Hell and High Water'' and her ''Flotsam & Jetsam'' trilogy.

Personal life

Tanya grew up in

Gravesend Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, situated 21 miles (35 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross (central London) on the Bank (geography), south bank of the River Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. Located in the diocese of Roche ...

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

after being born there. Up until she was approximately fourteen, people thought she was a boy (maybe because of her short hair and persistently rough knees). With her husband, Rod Burnett, two boys, Isaac and Jack, a

Siamese cat The Siamese cat (; แมวสยาม, Maeo Sayam; แมววิเชียรมาศ, Maeo Wichien Maat) is one of the first distinctly recognised breeds of Asian cat. It derives from the Wichianmat landrace. The Siamese cat is one ...

, and two Labradors, she currently resides in North Devon. She leaves at regular times to visit schools around the nation and around the world.

Awards

Tanya won the 2015

CILIP The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP, pronounced ) is a professional body for librarians, information specialists and knowledge management, knowledge managers in the United Kingdom. It was established in 20 ...

Carnegie Medal for her novel ''Buffalo Soldier''. She also won a Western Writers of America 2009

Spur Award Spur Awards are literary prizes given annually by the Western Writers of America (WWA). The purpose of the Spur Awards is to honor writers for distinguished writing about the American West. The Spur Awards began in 1953, the same year the WWA wa ...

for her novel ''I Am Apache''. Her work has also been shortlisted for numerous other awards: the 2008

Booktrust Teenage Prize The Booktrust Teenage Prize was an annual award given to young adult literature published in the UK. The prize was administered by Book Trust, an independent charity which promotes books and reading. The Booktrust Teenage Prize was last awarded ...

for ''Apache''; the 2010

Bolton Children's Book Award The Bolton Children's Book Award is an annual award given to works of children's literature published in paperback during the previous year. The award is sponsored by Bolton Literacy Trust, The University of Bolton The University of Greater M ...

and 2010

Red House Children's Book Award The Children's Book Award is a British literary award for children's books, run by the Federation of Children's Book Groups and previously known as the Red House Children's Book Award. Books published in the U.K. during the preceding calendar yea ...

for ''Mondays are Murder''; and the 2008

Guardian Children's Fiction Prize The Guardian Children's Fiction Prize or Guardian Award was a literary award that annually recognised one fiction book written for Children's literature, children or young adults (at least age eight) and published in the United Kingdom. It was conf ...

for ''The Goldsmith's Daughter.''

References

External links

Tanya Landman's Website

The Storybox Theatre Website
Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Carnegie Medal in Literature winners English children's writers English women writers People from Gravesend, Kent Alumni of the University of Liverpool {{England-writer-stub