Atinuke was born in Nigeria and spent her childhood in both Africa and the UK. Before writing her first two books, Anna Hibiscus and Hooray for Anna Hibiscus, she worked internationally as a storyteller, telling tales from both Africa and the African diaspora. She lives in Wales with her husband and two sons. Lauren Tobia worked as an intensive care nurse before graduating from the University of the West of England with a degree in Illustration. While studying, she was highly commended in the Macmillan Children's Book Prize. She lives in Bristol and has two daughters and a greyhound called Mickey.