REBECCA SHARPE wanted to write novels from the moment she read her first Stephen King book, aged eight, and soon graduated onto the works of Susan Hill, Shirley Jackson and Wilkie Collins, with a healthy sprinkling of The Babysitters' Club along the way. After reading her way through the entire classics section of the school library, she went on to study English Literature at university, which cemented her ambition to become an author. When not reading or writing, she can be found mentoring new writers through the Faber Academy or walking her dog, Archie, through the Mendip Hills.