Author Cornelia Funke was born in Dorsten, Germany in 1958. After graduating from university, she worked as a social worker for three years. After completing a course in book illustration at the Hamburg State College of Design, she worked as a children's book illustrator and designed board games. Her desire to draw magical worlds and her disappointment over the way some stories were written inspired her to write her own children's books. She currently lives in Los Angeles, California with her husband and two children.