Steve Barlow
Steve Barlow (Author)
As 50% of the Two Steves, Steve Barlow has written over 160 books with Steve Skidmore since their first published work appeared in 1988. Born in Crewe, he was educated at Crewe Grammar School, Warwick University and Nottingham University before a varied career in teaching, acting, stage management and puppetry. He worked in a village school in Botswana for four years before returning to the UK and working with Steve Skidmore. The Two Steves tour extensively in the UK and overseas, and are frequent visitors to book festivals including Edinburgh and Hay. Their work for Hachette includes the highly popular I Hero and Crime Team choose-your-adventure books, and their I Horror series is raising the short hairs at the back of readers' necks with Orchard Books.
Steve Skidmore (Author)
Steve Skidmore writes with Steve Barlow. Together they are Britain's most popular comedy writing and performing double act for young people. Not surprisingly, they are known as The 2 Steves! They met over twenty years ago when they were both teaching in Nottingham. Steve Skidmore is shorter than Steve Barlow and less hairy. He was born in Birstall near Leicester in England. After managing to pass some exams at school, he went on to Nottingham University to supposedly read English, but spent most of his time playing sport and doing a variety of summer jobs including counting pastry pie lids (yes, really). He trained as a teacher of Drama, English and Film studies, before teaming up with Steve Barlow to become a full time author. He lives in Leicester and is a great rugby fan (he supports Leicester Tigers - "Come on you Tiiiiigeeeers!").
Wendy Tan (Illustrator)
Wendy Tan is a Chinese-Malaysian artist, born and raised in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Drawing has always been her interest, but she only started to draw passionately during high school. After this, Wendy took a design course and graduated from Saito College with a Diploma in Multimedia Design. Wendy's keen interest for storytelling began with film and animation during her time working as storyboard artist and visual development artist in the Malaysian animation industry. Today Wendy loves using illustration to tell stories through her work, often implementing dramatic colour and light.
