Hello, my name is Helen Moss. Thank you for visiting the Secrets of the Tombs website.
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| This is me doing one of my favourite things (talking about books) in one of my favourite places (a book shop!) |
I was born in 1964 and grew up in the beautiful rolling countryside of Worcestershire, interspersed with long visits to Saudi Arabia, where my father worked. There's a part of Saudi Arabia called the rub al khali. It means empty quarter. It's the biggest sand desert in the world. We lived on a farm not far from the edge of that bit. Before internet, Skype or mobile phones. It came in useful to have an overactive imagination!
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| I've always loved animals - 101 Dalmations was one of my favourite films |
My favourite subjects at school were languages and sciences, and I went on to university to study Psychology and Philosophy.
While I was a student I had all kinds of jobs including being a waitress in the famous Ronnie Scotts jazz club (hard work, but fun) and trying to sell photocopiers over the phone (hard work and not much fun), but I left all that behind to study for a PhD in psycholinguistics at the University of Cambridge. After that I spent many happy years researching and lecturing on the way our brains process language and it how can be affected by brain injury and disease. If you are interested, you can find out all about the amazing research that goes on at the Centre for Speech, Language and the Brain in Cambridge.
I have always loved writing, and wrote my first book for children in 2007. It's not published yet, but I'm still working on it! Since then I have written a series called Superstar High (under the name Isabella Cass) and written the Adventure Island and Secrets of the Tombs series, published by Orion Children's Book, and Time Dogs series, published in the U.S. by Henry Holt and Co (Macmillan).
I also have an eighteenth-century mystery, The Mystery of the Pineapple Plot in an anthology called Mystery and Mayhem (published by Egmont) and have written several short mysteries for Rising Stars Reading Planet.
I'm very fortunate to be represented by Jenny Savill of Andrew Nurnberg Associates. I am a member of the National Association of Writers in Education (NAWE) and Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI).
I love going into schools to give talks and workshops and am very proud to be Patron of Reading for Kensington Primary School in Liverpool and Princethorpe Junior School in Birmingham and Author in Residence at Litcham School, Norfolk.
I'm proud to be the Honorary Patron for Linton Children's Book Festival in Cambridgeshire.
I am also a Book Buddy for Coupals Primary School, Haverhill, and a Book Pen Pal for Castlemorton Primary School and Great Malvern Primary School in Worcestershire and Brownlow Primary School in Leicestershire.
If you would like to find out more about my school visits, please see this page on my author website.
I have always loved writing, and wrote my first book for children in 2007. It's not published yet, but I'm still working on it! Since then I have written a series called Superstar High (under the name Isabella Cass) and written the Adventure Island and Secrets of the Tombs series, published by Orion Children's Book, and Time Dogs series, published in the U.S. by Henry Holt and Co (Macmillan).
I also have an eighteenth-century mystery, The Mystery of the Pineapple Plot in an anthology called Mystery and Mayhem (published by Egmont) and have written several short mysteries for Rising Stars Reading Planet.
I'm very fortunate to be represented by Jenny Savill of Andrew Nurnberg Associates. I am a member of the National Association of Writers in Education (NAWE) and Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI).
I love going into schools to give talks and workshops and am very proud to be Patron of Reading for Kensington Primary School in Liverpool and Princethorpe Junior School in Birmingham and Author in Residence at Litcham School, Norfolk.
I'm proud to be the Honorary Patron for Linton Children's Book Festival in Cambridgeshire.
I am also a Book Buddy for Coupals Primary School, Haverhill, and a Book Pen Pal for Castlemorton Primary School and Great Malvern Primary School in Worcestershire and Brownlow Primary School in Leicestershire.
If you would like to find out more about my school visits, please see this page on my author website.
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| Hands up if you love reading! Milton Rd Primary School on a VERY hot July afternoon! |
I've lived in London, Glasgow and Oregon, but now live near Cambridge with my computer-scientist husband, two sons who are much taller than me, a pair of soppy old dogs and a flock of bossy hens.
When I’m not writing or feeding animals I like walking in the countryside with our border collies, Storm and Maia.When I’m not writing or feeding animals I like walking in the countryside with our border collies, Storm and Maia.
I also like playing netball and climbing trees...
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| I think I found the Faraway Tree |
and climbing mountains...
and ski-ing down them...
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| At the summit of Mt Hood in Oregon |
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| What do you mean I'm a bit overdressed for a day's writing? |
