Joseph O'Connor was born in Dublin and has written ten Irish number one bestsellers. His debut novel Cowboys and Indians was shortlisted for the Whitbread Prize. His other acclaimed novels are Desperadoes, The Salesman and Inishowen. He has also written stage plays, film scripts, journalism, humour and a collection of short stories, True Believers. Among his many awards are the Hennessy Writer of the Year Prize, the Miramax Ireland Screenwriting Award and the Macaulay Fellowship of the Irish Arts Council. His work has been published in fifteen languages.