Tamara Macfarlane

As a child, Tamara Macfarlane practically lived in Blackwells Children’s Bookshop in Oxford. Her passion for children’s books continued and later in Cambridge she specialised in Children’s Literature whilst studying English and Education. After a number of years as an art and literacy co ordinator, Tamara had her first child and decided she would like to move back into a children’s bookshop. She founded Tales on Moon Lane in Herne Hill, South London which was named as one of Timeout’s top five London Bookshops, shortlisted for the Children’s Bookshop of the year for all of its first three years and went on to win Children’s Bookshop of the year in 2008 and 2011. The huge number of author events at Tales on Moon Lane led to the setting up and organisation of a number of children’s literature festivals including We Read at University College school and the Southwark School’s Reading Festival at the Dulwich Picture Gallery attended by over 2000 children each year. After having her second child in 2005, she noticed a small gap on the shelves of the 5-8 section and not being able to find anything she really loved to put in it she decided to start writing herself. The first in the Amazing Esme series will be published by Hodder in September 2011.