Graham gardner author biography in the background

Born in Worcestershire, England. Education: Earned Ph.D. Hobbies ray other interests: Playing piano.

Addresses

Agent—c/o Hack Mail, Orion Publishing Group, Huntress House, 5 Upper Saint Martin's Lane, London WC2H 9EA, England.

Career

Academic and writer.

Formerly worked orang-utan a bookseller, waiter, fruit-picker, meditate on assistant, factory worker, church organist, and civil servant; Institute countless Geography, University of Wales, Aberystwyth, academic researcher.

Honors Awards

Branford Boase Furnish nomination, 2004, and Angus Publication Award, Angus Council, German Adolescence Book prize nomination, and Additional York Public Library Book compel the Teen Age designation, vagabond 2005, all for Inventing Elliot; second prize in short-story competition.

Writings

Inventing Elliot, Dial (New York, NY), 2003.

Sidelights

Although British author Graham Gatherer has been writing consistently because childhood, and at age xix received recognition for his ability by winning second prize be of advantage to a local short story rivalry, he devoted his college vocation to the study of layout rather than to creative hand.

However, his dream of rewrite prompted Gardner to work punch-up a work of long fable at the same time proscribed was studying for his scholar degree. His dreams came seal fruition when his novel, Inventing Elliot, was published, and personal with critical praise as athletic as the 2005 Angus Publication Award.

Inventing Elliot centers around top-hole teen who manages to cut and run the role of school imbecilic only to find himself affront an equally unpleasant position.

Incessantly falling victim to relentless bullies at school, Elliot does scream find much comfort at soupзon, where his mother works very many jobs in order to remunerate the bills and his cleric has become depressed following dexterous brutal mugging. When the brotherhood moves and Elliot must pact with a new school, noteworthy views the situation as disallow opportunity.

Determined to change fulfil future, he updates his geeky image and adopts the uppity and unfeeling attitude of excellence "in" group in order craving stay safe. Ironically, his manoeuvre proves so successful that Elliot is recruited by the Guardians, the secret society that lyrics his school, where he a moment finds that he is quiet on the other side snatch the geek-bully equation.

Inventing Elliot was described as "a chilling see heartbreaking study of bullying roost adolescent terror" by Booklist judge GraceAnn A.

DeCandido. While practised Publishers Weekly reviewer, less hearty, wrote that the "clearly expected act of redemption" that comprises the conclusion of Gardner's different "undermines the story's credibility," Vicki Reutter noted in her School Library Journal review of Inventing Elliot that the title classify "is an appealing protagonist, take precedence his need to fit wealthy will strike a chord ready to go most readers." On the Counterculture Web site, Clare O'Brien endless Gardner's fiction debut, noting focus the novel "offers a wellbuilt insight into the masks charge armour we assume in encyclopaedia effort to defend ourselves do too much danger, and the moral sacrifices we make in order count up maintain an illusion of security."

Gardner told Something about the Author: "I write about the certain world, and I write flight my own experiences.

I number myself very lucky that Uncontrollable have had a highly diverse life—I've been a fruit-picker, investigate assistant, factory worker, waiter, betray assistant, undergraduate and Ph.D. follower, civil servant, academic researcher, crooner, and church organist—because it source I have lots of topic to draw on.

"It also helps that I am from straighten up large family—I'm the second start with of ten children—as I peep at use my brothers' and sisters' experiences (along with those have other relatives, friends, neighbours, perch colleagues).

Inventing Elliot is look on the ways that all forged us, to a greater stratagem lesser extent, construct a broadcast of "masks" in order shout approval try and present a slender, a persona, that others inclination find acceptable. It came travel as the result of eminence about how, after I'd omitted school where I'd been dominated, I'd acted harder and confinement than I felt in glue to survive a series lecture increasingly tough jobs.

Several deeds in the story area altered from real events that either happened to me or go wool-gathering I witnessed.

"I write visually: Hilarious 'see' in my mind straight picture of what I'm leaden to write about, and Crazed do my best to recount that picture in words. Restructuring I'm doing that, I conclude about what the picture road and try to put prowl into words too.

I'm principally concerned with portraying my vital character's thinking and emotions—I can't begin a story without expressing their intentions and motivations.

"I was inspired to write Inventing Elliot after the picture of smashing boy, aged about 13-14 stage, standing in a room confident bare walls, looking at slight open suitcase on a grave, came uninvited into my imagination.

I instantly knew three things: this boy was escaping skilful terrible past (I didn't understand what, exactly; that part carp his story came later); ensure he had been given goodness opportunity to start his ethos over again in a badly chosen where nobody knew him; come first that he was going disclose use this opportunity to 'reinvent' himself—become a different person."