Amanda Li (1)

[excerpt from author's website]
Children often ask me how I became an author, so here's how I got started. When I was at school, I had no idea what I wanted to be. I was only good at two things: English and Art. (Don't ask about Maths!) I got a place at art school, graduated and worked as an illustrator for a while. However, it was a lonely life and I soon realised that it wasn't right for me. So, I got myself a teaching qualification and moved to Spain to teach English, where I had a brilliant time working with kids and adults in Barcelona. Later, I came home to London where my language teaching experience helped me get my first job in publishing – editing language courses for kids. I went on to get jobs at other publishers, working in audio books, non-fiction and fiction and eventually becoming a commissioning editor in the children's division of a well-known publisher.

By then, I'd written hundreds of book blurbs (the description on the back cover), edited all kinds of books and realised that I quite would like to do some writing myself. So, a few years ago, I decided to take the scary step of becoming a full-time children's writer and, luckily, I've been busy ever since.