Biography

Sam Sedgman is a bestselling author, confirmed nerd and enthusiastic ferroequinologist.

His first novel for young readers, The Highland Falcon Thief, was published by Macmillan in January 2020, winning Children’s Fiction Book of the Year at the British Book Awards. Co-written with his friend M. G. Leonard, the book was the first instalment of the bestselling middle grade series Adventures On Trains.

Before writing stories for children, Sam worked as a digital consultant for the National Theatre, which meant nosing around backstage with a camera and a microphone, cajoling theatre makers into explaining how stories are built. Forever interested in piecing things together, Sam is a lifelong fan of puzzles, games and detective fiction, and once founded a company making murder mystery treasure hunts for adventurous Londoners.

An experienced host, Sam currently presents Down the Rabbit Hole, a podcast for grown-ups about children’s books. He also chairs panel discussions and interviews for festivals and events in publishing, theatre and the arts.

A multi-award-winning writer, his work has been translated into more than 20 languages, and he has written articles on books, writing, culture, theatre, technology, games, travel and free speech for numerous publications including The Guardian.

When he isn’t writing, Sam can usually be found admiring a handsome timepiece, watching Alfred Hitchcock movies, or explaining some weird fact to you. He lives in London, on top of a railway station.