Chris d'Lacey was born December 16, 1954 in Valetta, Malta and grew up in Leicester and Bolton, England. He received a biology degree from the University of York and later returned to Leicester, working in the Pre-Clinical Sciences department of the University of Leicester. Chris d'Lacey began writing fiction in his early thirties. Fly, Cherokee, Fly, his first children's novel, was published in 1998 and was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal. In 2002, his book, The Fire Within, won the Rotherham Children's Book Award. He has written over twenty children's books including the best-selling, award-winning The Last Dragon Chronicles. In 2002, the University of Leicester awarded d'Lacey with an… honorary doctorate. He currently works for the university while continuing to write.