Hello
I'm Tom Palmer, author of the FOUL PLAY and FOOTBALL ACADEMY books, published by Puffin. I love football and I love reading. That's why I love my job.
Here are ten things about me that could make up a half-decent biography:
1967
I was born in Leeds, but my birth parents couldn't look after me, so I was fostered, then adopted.
1971
My adoptive mum and dad split up and I stayed with my mum, but she got remarried two years later and my step-dad helped bring me up.
1971-1979
I had a great childhood. We went on holiday to the Lake District a lot and I became obsessed with football. I was happy.
1979
Went to my first Leeds United game. Wolves at home. 3-0. That was my first of over 700 games so far. I was really happy.
1985
I discovered I loved reading, having not been interested before. My mum used football books, newspapers and magazines about football. Almost immediately I wanted to be an author.
1992
Leeds won the league and I got as degree in Modern European Literature. But my mum died a month later, four years after my step dad had died too. Not so happy.
1993
I started a six year career as a bookseller at Waterstone's, winning the 1997 Bookseller of the Year.
1998
I began working in libraries, putting on author events. I love libraries and my career went really well until I decided to leave it and become an author.
1998
I met my wife in the Sahara Desert. Very happy.
2003
My daughter was born. Very very happy.
2008
My first Puffin book - Foul Play - was published, the first of fourteen so far. Very very very happy.
I hope that gives you an idea about me.
As a result of the above, although my books are about football, they are also about dads and crime and reading and love and hate and friendship, amongst other things.
I go into over 200 schools every year to run my Football Reading Game. You can find out more at www.tompalmer.co.uk, but the idea is to have a quiz about things you can read about football, followed by a penalty shoot out. I talk about writing and encourage children to talk about what they like to read.
