Matt FW Curran was born in Essex in 1974. From an early age he was brought up on a diet of fantasy and science fiction by parents who might have known better, but loved to encourage their son's imagination. At the age of 11, Matt had already written his first book (The Vent) and by the time he was 17, he had written over a dozen short stories, writing his first novel The Forever Chain by the time he was 18. After studying in Sheffield, he made his home there, met his wife and continued writing books in his spare time. His day jobs have included working for a geographical magazine, a high-street bank, the Government, as well as moonlighting as a freelance journalist for a local music paper. In 2005, Macmillan Publishers discovered Matt's novel, The Secret War, in a Channel 4 writing competition. The Secret War is his first book to be published.