Robert Dinsdale | |
|---|---|
| Born | Robert Neil Dinsdale April 1981 (age 44) Northallerton, England |
| Alma mater | |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Children | 1 |
| Website | www |
Robert Neil Dinsdale (born April 1981) is an English author of historical fiction and fantasy. His novels include The Harrowing (2009), Little Exiles (2013), The Toymakers (2018) and Once a Monster (2023).
Dinsdale was born in Northallerton, North Yorkshire and grew up near Target Wood. He began writing at a young age and received his first rejection letter at age 12. [1] He graduated from the University of Leeds. [2] [3]
Dinsdale began his career working as an assistant for Conville & Walsh (C&W) Agency. [4] He later worked for A.M. Heath Literary Agency. [5] Dinsdale published his debut novel The Harrowing via Faber & Faber in 2009. The novel follows two working-class brothers from Leeds, one of whom takes the other's place in the First World War. [6] [7] The Harrowing was longlisted for the Waverton Good Read Award. [8] Dinsdale reunited with Faber & Faber for the publication of his second novel Three Miles, set in Leeds during the Blitz. [9]
In 2012, Dinsdale signed a two-book deal with HarperCollins UK and Australia, [10] through which he published Little Exiles, centred around the exile of child orphans to Australia in the after math of World War II. [11] This was followed by Dinsdale's first fantasy novel Gingerbread, set in Belarus and drawing upon Slavic folklore, in 2014. [12]
As announced in 2017, Dinsdale's next novel The Toymakers (also stylised as The Toy Makers) was published via Del Rey (an Ebury Publishing imprint) in February 2018. [13] The story begins in 1906 when teen mother Cathy Wray is hired by Papa Jack's Emporium and follows the various characters through the decades. [14] The Toymakers named a Historical Novel Society Editors' Choice [15] and longlisted for a 2020 Dublin Literary Award [16] Also under Del Rey, Dinsdale's sixth Paris by Starlight was published in 2020. [17] [18]
Dinsdale moved to Pan Macmillan for the publication of Once a Monster in 2023, [19] a reimagining of the Minotaur myth set in Victorian London. [20] [21] [22] Once a Monster was also named a Historical Novel Society Editors' Choice. [23]
Dinsdale lives in Leigh-on-Sea and has a daughter. [24]