Susan Cooper is author of the classic five-book sequence The Dark is Rising, marking its 50th anniversary this year and the winner of a Newbery Medal, a Newbery Honor Award, and two Carnegie Honor Awards. Born in England, she was a reporter for the Sunday Times before moving to the US.

Her writing includes books for children and adults, a Broadway play, films, and Emmy-nominated screenplays. In 2012, Susan was given the Margaret A. Edwards Award and in 2013 she received the World Fantasy Award for life achievement. Her most recent titles are The Word Pirates and The Shortest Day. Susan lives and writes in Marshfield, Massachusetts.

Natalie Haynes is the author of The Amber Fury, shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize; The Children of Jocasta; A Thousand Ships (shortlisted for the Women’s Prize), and Stone Blind, a re-telling of the Medusa story (long listed for the Women’s Prize). Her non-fiction works are The Ancient Guide to Modern Life and Pandora’s Jar.

She has written and presented seven series of the BBC Radio 4 show, Natalie Haynes Stands Up for The Classics. In 2015, she was awarded the Classical Association Prize for her work in bringing Classics to a wider audience. In her newest work, Divine Might Natalie returns to the world of Greek myth, examining the role of the goddesses.