Nicola Bayley studied at the Royal College of Art, and published her first book in 1975. She is both an award-winning writer (Kate Greenaway medal 2001) and both a landscape painter and illustrator. She lives in West Cornwall, not far from Land's End. Her fame locally was secured with her wonderful illustrations for The Mousehole Cat, published with Antonia Barber (text), an international bestselling children's book.