Sophie E Tallis was born in Bristol, UK, but grew up in a sleepy village just north of it, dreaming of dragons and wild adventures. She has subsequently travelled the world having many adventures but now lives in the Cotswolds with her family, two enormous white wolves, two even bigger Alaskan Malamutes and a load of wild ducks who basically run the place!
She is a writer, traditional trained fine artist and an illustrator for HarperCollins, Penguin Random House and other publishing houses. Sophie was also a shortlisted Best Artist in the 2018 British Fantasy Awards! She is also a poet, painter, mural artist and a full member of The Society of Authors and was a full-time teacher for 16 years. She has a BA (Hons) Degree in Fine Art, photography and sculpture and a Post-Grad in Education, and is now a librarian, a dream job being surrounded by books all day!
Sophie divides her time when she is not writing, reading, drawing or painting, by delving into topics as diverse as ancient history, African and Asian mythology, natural history, archaeology, astronomy, geology, world geography and of course fantasy and science-fiction, all of which inhabit her stories! She is an avid film buff, loves stargazing, playing chess and is passionate about nature and conservation. Sophie describes herself as a lover of wild places and the written word.
White Mountain, the first book of the Darkling Chronicles trilogy, was inspired by the author's experiences during a four month backpacking journey to New Zealand in 1997, an odyssey that changed her life. Like Peter Jackson and his Lord of the Rings films, Sophie found herself in the same locations and magical landscapes later used in those films, and these inspirational places gave life to an epic new fantasy adventure for the 21st century!
Publisher's Websites: http://kristell-ink.com/ & http://www.grimboldbooks.com/
Author Website: http://sophieetallis.co.uk
Illustration Website: http://sophieetallisillustrations.weebly.com/
Etsy Shop: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/SophiesArtisanArts
Author Blog: http://sophieetallis.wordpress.com
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/FantasyEpic
Book Website: http://thedarklingchronicles.weebly.com/