StarClan Secrets

H O M E ♦ S I T E ♦ G R A P H I C S ♦ I N F O ♦ E X T R A

The Authors

As you may have heard, Erin Hunter is actually three people! She is experienced children's book writers Kate Cary, Cherith Baldry and Victoria Holmes, who all live in the UK. Vicky comes up with the story ideas and make sure the books stay consistent, and Kate and Cherith take it in turns to write the books. They came up with the single name, Erin Hunter, to avoid confusing their readers by having books from the same series filed in different places on the bookshelves.
Cherith Baldry has written Forest of Secrets, A Dangerous Path, The Darkest Hour and all of the New Prophecy books except for Dawn. She is also the author who is writing/has written the Special Edition Warriors book, Firestar's Quest.
Kate Cary has written Into the Wild, Fire and Ice, Rising Storm, Dawn and The Power of Three: The Sight.

I grew up on a farm, so of course I grew up with cats––working cats who kept down the mice in the house and barns, but were still friendly house cats who would play and curl up on a lap. My first cat after I was married was a gray tabby called Tomlyn. He was part Siamese part African Bush cat, and one of the friendliest cats I've ever known. When we came back to the UK we brought him with us; although he had to stay in quarantine for six months, he didn’t forget us, and when we went to visit him, he climbed all over us, shedding hair and purring like mad! My next cat was called Schroger, after the Austrian physicist--my husband Peter was a scientist. He was ginger and white, and very playful. My two sons, Will and Adam, grew up with him, so he will always have a special place in their hearts. Peter died a few years ago, and Will and Adam are grown up now, so I share my home with two cats, Bramble and Sorrel. Sorrel is a tiny tortoiseshell and white cat, very dainty and demanding. Bramble is a dark tabby quiet and dignified, a real gentleman. When I'm working, Bramble comes and sits on my lap. Sorrel comes and sits on the work. They have their own secret lives as Bramblecaw and Sorreltail, and I love writing Warrior so that I can imagine a cat's eye view of the world. There'll always be something mysterious about cats. And that's one of the reasons why I love them.

I have loved cats since I was a child. My dad gave me a kitten when I was six—a small black, gentle cat. She would follow me around the house waiting for me to sit down so she could clamber onto my lap and purr. Since then I have never been without a cat. Even at University I found a cat to love—a black tom who lived in the halls of residence. He would slip into my room and sleep on my bed and when I left the University and set up my own home, the first thing I acquired was a cat. I have three cats now. My eldest cat is a grumpy granddad of a cat who loves to sleep in the warmest place he can find to rest his aching bones. Flower and Miu-Miu are much younger—a brother and sister we found in a rescue home. They love it when I write; as soon as they at my keyboard, Willow settles himself under the radiator in my study and Flower curls up on the chair behind me, while Miu-Miu lounges across my desk pressing the keys with his paws with every languorous stretch. They graciously share their home with my partner Geoff and my seven-year-old son, Joshua, who love them almost as much as I do. Although our three cats are soft kittypets, I know that a night, while I’m tucked up in bed, they go out exploring a world all their own. Writing Warriors gives me the chance to imagine that world. I used to worry about my cats, out alone in the dark. But the ThunderClan cats have taught me that there is nothing for them to fear, only adventures to be enjoyed.
Visit Kate Cary's website, the Guttersnipe

Victoria Holmes

Victoria Holmes grew up on a farm in England, where she learned to ride at the age of two. When she wasn't riding ponies and hand-rearing calves, she enjoyed reading and writing stories of her own. She studied English at Oxford University, where the beautiful ancient buildings and sense of tradition inspired an interest in history. Victoria now works in London as a children's book editor and escapes to the English countryside whenever she can to ride horses and walk her dog, Missy.