About the author

Allie Anders is a pen name but also the author's real name, as Allie is the shortened form of her middle name and Anders is part of her married name.

Allie Anders was born and brought up in Bray, Co. Wicklow, Ireland, and was an avid reader from the age of five, when she first joined Bray Library. At this time she also began to write, starting with poetry - here is her first poem:

The funny bunny

Had some money,

So he went to a shop

And bought a wishing lollipop.

He wished for a fish

And put it on a dish,

And lived happily ever after.

In her teens, Allie graduated to writing short stories for women's magazines. Although she had written a couple of novels in the 1980s, it was only when she was a runner-up in The Mail on Sunday novel-opening competition in 1991 that she decided to devote herself to longer fiction, and she has now written six novels, of which The Fairytale Quest is her first children's story. 

The book is dedicated to the memory of Máirín O'Byrne, a truly inspirational lady who was children's librarian in Bray when Allie was young, and went on to become well known and respected as Dublin City and County Librarian.

About the artist

Patrick Fox is a professional artist and writer who lives in Wales. His beautifully rendered retro book jacket and 14 black-and-white interior illustrations help bring alive the characters and story of The Fairytale Quest.