More about the writer

Was this my first book?

I grew up in a village in the southern parts of the Netherlands. As said, becoming an architect was my dream, until I discovered that all my drawings invariably ended in stories.
I started writing and to skill myself, I attended the 4-year creative writing course Prose for Children at Script+ as well as the Editor’s course (Leergang Redacteur/Editor) at the University of Amsterdam. I did a 6-month internship at Meulenhoff Publishers, one of Holland’s most distinguished publishing houses. By now I have a vast experience in subediting, copy editing and ghostwriting. I write full-time, but occasionally still moonlight as a freelance editor. I also teach creative writing at schools (middle grade and junior high school).

When I finally gathered the courage to send my first manuscript to a publisher, it was accepted right away and in 2005 Deedee’s Revenge (De wraak van Deedee) was published by Van Goor. Deedee’s Revenge is a story about a girl with the nastiest brother ever.
In 2007 The Sun Spirit (De Zonnegod) was published, followed by The Soul Snatcher (De Zielensluiper) in 2008. These are the first two volumes of the Warriors of the Sun tetralogy. The novels are based on native American myths and legends. The Sun Spirit is loosely based on the Navajo legend of the Twin Warriors and is set in Navajo Nation; The Soul Snatcher is set in British Columbia and incorporates myths and legends of the Kwakwaka’wakw and Tsimshian First Nations. The third volume of the series, The Silver Shadow (De Zilverschaduw), is being edited.
Of course I traveled extensively to do research for the Warriors of the Sun. Some of my travel experiences you will find back in my blog postings.
I am currently working on a YA thriller in English – working title: The Weed Man.

I also write short stories for the very young (ages 4-7). In September 2010 ‘The Cookie Thief’ (‘De koekjesdief’) was published in a volume of read aloud stories for tough boys: Knights, Dino’s and Pirates (Ridders, dino’s en piraten).
‘On Fiep Street’ (‘In de straat van Fiep’) is a series of 21 stories with the illustrations of Holland’s most famous illustrator Fiep Westendorp. the series was published in Bobo, a biweekly magazine with a 45,000 circulation), in 2007/2008. I was extremely proud to be chosen by Bobo to write stories for Fiep’s illustrations. I must admit I felt, just a teeny weeny bit, far, far away in the back of my mind, incredibly honored to join Mies Bouhuys or maybe even Annie M.G. Schmidt, the majorly famous Dutch writers, who brought Fiep’s illustrations to life for years and years.
A series of 9 stories ‘In Class’ (‘In de klas’) was published in the same magazine in 2008.

My first adult thriller – working title: Turing’s Deceit (a.k.a. Dark Fiber) – is a techno-thriller and evolves around newly created and lost identities. The ultimate compression algorithm, the Internet’s holy grail, is the MacGuffin that carries the story from Amsterdam to Silicon Valley and further on to Brooklyn and Boston and maybe ultimately to death and doom…
For more information you may contact Paul Sebes Literary Agency.