Robert Swindells
Robert Swindells was born in Bradford in 1939, the eldest of five children.
He left school at fifteen to work on a local newspaper, then served three years in the RAF. After various jobs, he obtained five O-levels at night school and trained as a teacher in 1969.
His first book, "When Darkness Comes," was published in 1972 as a college thesis.
In 1980, he became a full-time writer.
Swindells regularly visits schools to read and talk with children about his work.
He serves as secretary of his local Peace Movement group and lives in Bradford with his wife and two grown daughters.
