Authors

I've been a cartoonist for longer than I've been an author. My comic strips and cartoons have appeared in Viz, The Herald, The Independent and The List, among others. I also did quite a lot of work in puppet theatre during the 1990s.


So far, I’ve written and illustrated two children's adventure novels, The Seven Professors of the Far North and The Flight of the Silver Turtle, with a third – The Secret of the Back Moon Moth – coming out in January 2009. I’ve also just written and illustrated my first picture book, Manfred the Baddie.


I was brought up near Bristol, and have lived in Edinburgh since 1992. Like many writers and illustrators, I find Edinburgh fires my imagination. It's such a multi-layered city, in every sense. To me it seems the ideal starting point for stories of eccentric inventors, awe-inspiring secrets and extraordinary adventures.


My wife and I have lived in various parts of the city over the years. These days, we live in Corstorphine, with our two sons. I work in what used to be the garage, on the side of the house.


An extract from The Music Shop by John Fardell




 

See the full comic strip in Our City, available from Polygon in November 2008.