Tanya Landman is a distinguished Carnegie Medal winning author known for her extensive range of over forty books targeting children and young adults. Born and raised in Kent, United Kingdom, Tanya had never planned to become a writer until the novel idea for Waking Merlin spontaneously came to her. Describing this moment of inspiration, she said, "It came from nowhere, completely out of the blue."

Currently residing in North Devon, Tanya draws inspiration from its dramatic coastline, which features prominently in her Flotsam & Jetsam series as well as the historical thriller Hell and High Water.

Initially, Tanya's works were characterized by "adventure stories with a sprinkling of magic and a spoonful of humour." However, she eventually ventured into the realm of crime fiction with Mondays are Murder, a book that won the Red House Book Award and marked the start of a series of ten "Agatha-Christie-for-kids" novels featuring the child sleuth, Poppy Fields, and her friend Graham.

Despite her varied writing repertoire, Tanya is perhaps most renowned for her historical thrillers penned for young adult audiences. Notably, Apache was shortlisted for multiple UK awards, and Buffalo Soldier secured the prestigious 2015 Carnegie Medal. Furthermore, Hell and High Water was shortlisted for the 2016 Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize and also nominated for the Carnegie Medal. Her more recent work, One Shot, inspired by the life of sharpshooter Annie Oakley, won the Scottish Teenage Book Prize 2020.