Scarlett Thomas was born in London. She is the author of highly acclaimed contemporary cult novels including THE END OF MR. Y, which was longlisted for the Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction, THE SLEEPWALKERS, OLIGARCHY, THE SEED COLLECTORS, POPCO, and the WORLDQUAKE series of middle-grade books. Her novels have sold over half a million copies worldwide, and been translated into 26 languages. Scarlett is Professor of Creative Writing and Contemporary Fiction at the University of Kent. Find out more at www.scarthomas.com.