James Barclay

James Barclay was born in Felixstowe, Suffolk, in 1965 and is the third of four children. He gained a BA (Hons) in Communication Studies in Sheffield before heading to London to train as an actor. With acting roles in short supply, he worked in marketing and advertising until 2004 when he became a full time author.

James is the creator of the two Raven trilogies: Chronicles of The Raven and Legends of The Raven, and the epic fantasy duology, The Ascendants of Estorea. Following that, he published the seventh and last Raven novel, Ravensoul. He has written two novellas, Light Stealer and Vault of Deeds. He is currently working on a new fantasy trilogy, the first of which, Once Walked With Gods was published in August 2010.

Away from fantasy, James is writing contemporary young adult fiction, and is collaborating on a TV drama, a comedy sketch show and a very British screenplay. James has recently begun acting again and has a role in a gritty Brit-pic called 'The Estate.' The film will premiere in October 2010.

For his sins, James is a lifelong supporter of Ipswich Town FC and still believes England will win the next major championship they play. He loves watching cricket, rugby, tennis and darts and indeed plays all these sports when he can. He's just not very good at any of them.

James lives with his wife, two sons and two dogs, in south west London