Ana Fischel lives near a beach in Southern Spain where she often sees mermaids and pirates gallivanting in the distance.

When it gets too hot she scrambles under a shady palm tree with her trusty notebook and scribbles for hours. Occasionally she ventures into the world of reality to spend time with her husband Gustav, daughter Isabella and step daughter Lujzka where they play cards beneath the star lit sky.

The author is originally from Cambridge and studied illustration and film making at Edinburgh College of Art before moving to Paris to work as an artist. Her work has appeared in many publications.

She moved to Spain in 2001 where she started to write The Twelve Quests.