Julian Sedgwick

Julian is the author of six books for children, and co-author with his brother, Marcus, of the graphic novel Dark Satanic Mills and illustrated novel Voyages in the Underworld of Orpheus Black. The latter was shortlisted for the 2020 Carnegie Medal. The first book in his Mysterium trilogy – The Black Dragon – was published by Hodder Children’s Books in 2013 and won the Rotherham Children’s Book Award. On the way to realising his childhood ambition to write, he read East Asian Studies and Philosophy at Cambridge University, before working variously as an academic bookseller, painter, researcher and script developer for film and TV, and Shiatsu Therapist. Following completion of the Mysterium, he returned to his fascination with East Asia and set his Ghosts of Shanghai trilogy in war-torn, (and ghost-ridden) 1920s China. Tsunami Girl is the product of his lifelong immersion in Japanese culture, history and belief, and his many journeys and close friendships made in the country. His co-creator is Japanese manga artist, Chie Kutsuwada, who brings a vital visual voice of the book powerfully to life. He lives near Ely, Cambridgeshire, he is married and has two wonderful grown-up sons. He still combines his writing with his work as a Zen Shiatsu therapist. In his spare time he draws as much as possible, juggles badly, tries his best to improve his Japanese – and waits for the weather to get cold enough to go fen skating.