Marcus Sedgwick

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Marcus Sedgwick (8 April 1968 – 15 November 2022) was a British writer and illustrator known for dark, atmospheric books for young readers and children. He published many novels, graphic novels, picture books, and a nonfiction work, often with creepy or fantasy elements.

Early life
- Born in Preston, Kent, England. He had a brother, Julian, and a half-sister, Ellie.
- As a child, he was shy and was bullied at Sir Roger Manwood’s School in Sandwich, Kent.
- His mother once worked at the Centre for Alternative Technology in Machynlleth, a place that influenced him.
- He loved authors like Susan Cooper and Mervyn Peake and was inspired by their imaginative worlds.
- He studied mathematics and politics at the University of Bath. His father died when he was twenty.

Career
- Before becoming a full-time writer, Sedgwick worked as a bookseller and in sales for children’s publishers.
- He began writing seriously in the mid-1990s.
- Floodland (2000) was his first book and won the Branford Boase Award for best debut children’s novel.
- The Dark Horse (2002) was shortlisted for the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize.
- Midwinterblood (2011) won the Michael L. Printz Award in the United States (awarded in 2014).
- Revolver (2010) also won the Michael L. Printz Award in 2011.
- The Ghosts of Heaven (2015) earned a 2016 Printz Award nomination/win.
- Sedgwick also created graphic novels with his brother Julian, including Dark Satanic Mills (2013).
- He taught creative writing at Bath Spa University from 2011 to 2014 and wrote reviews for The Guardian.

Personal life
- Sedgwick was married and divorced three times. He had one daughter, Alice, with his first wife, Kate Agnew.
- He loved music, played the drums, and drew and wrote in his spare time.
- In 2014, he was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome (also known as ME). He moved to the French Alps and later to Dordogne, France.
- His final work was a nonfiction book, All In Your Head: What Happens When Your Doctor Doesn’t Believe You? (2022).

Selected works and achievements
- Young adult novels: Floodland (2000), The Foreshadowing (2005), My Swordhand Is Singing (2006), Revolver (2010), Midwinterblood (2011), Saint Death (2016), Snowflake AZ (2019).
- Children’s books: Witch Hill (2001), A Winter’s Tale (2003), Raven Mysteries series (2009–2013), Cudweed titles (2011–2013), Elf Girl and Raven Boy series (2012–2014).
- Graphic novels: Dark Satanic Mills (2013), co-created with Julian Sedgwick.
- Adult novels: A Love Like Blood (2015), Mister Memory (2016), The Monsters We Deserve (2018).
- Nonfiction: All In Your Head (2022).
- Notable awards include the Branford Boase Award (Floodland), Booktrust Teenage Prize (My Swordhand Is Singing), Blue Peter Book Award (Best Book with Pictures) for Lunatics and Luck, and multiple Michael L. Printz Awards for works like Revolver, Midwinterblood, and The Ghosts of Heaven.

Marcus Sedgwick is remembered for his distinctive, often eerie storytelling and his contributions as both a writer and illustrator. He passed away in France in 2022 at the age of 54.