Anthony McGowan was born in Manchester in 1965. Educated at a Leeds comprehensive, he won't say that his characters' schooldays are exactly based on his own but he certainly writes from experience. Before turning to writing full-time, Anthony gained a PhD in Philosophy, worked as a nightclub bouncer, an Open University tutor, a journalist and a civil servant. He won the 2006 Booktrust Teenage Prize and Catalyst Award for his teenage novel Henry Tumour.
He is married to Rebecca Campbell, a fashion designer and novelist. They have two young children and live in north London.