Frances Hardinge spent her childhood in a huge old house that inspired her to write strange stories from an early age. She read English at Oxford University, and after she got a job at a software company was bullied by a persistent friend until she reluctantly let a publisher read the first chapters of FLY BY NIGHT. Macmillan made her an immediate offer. A few days after the final draft was delivered, Frances set off on a year-long odyssey around the world. She expects to be in the jungles of South East Asia when FLY BY NIGHT is published.