Matthew GilbertMatthew Gilbert was born in Southampton but grew up in Swansea, South Wales. Matthew was an avid reader from an early age; Enid Blyton, Richmal Crompton and Malorie Blackman were his favourite authors as a child. Growing up, Matthew's influences wereStephen King and Dean Koontz. He also enjoys reading John Saul and James Patterson. Matthew liked creative writing in school and enjoyed writing stories. After university (where he earned an undergraduate degree in French and Italian and a postgraduate degree in Early Childhood Studies), Matthew went travelling. Whilst in Australia, Matthew came up with the idea for his first novel, Ben. However, this project took a back seat when Matthew returned to Wales and started writing children's books. Over time, Matthew found that he really wanted to finish his thriller novel, so he decided to stop writing children's books and concentrate on Ben. He found it refreshing to write for a different audience, and especially enjoyed developing the characters. Aside from writing, Matthew enjoys playing football, travelling and running. He is still an avid reader. In 2013, Matthew married Laura, whom he had first met when he was nine years old. They had their first child, Ellie, in 2015. Read More Read Less