Beginner's pluck: SA Dunphy

A voracious reader, Shane always liked crime. He was first published aged 11, getting a story in a collection by children for children, but he was so badly teased for writing it, that he didn’t try again for many years.

At 16, Shane was in a band and his mother encouraged him to play his guitar for her class of children with special needs.

“They were so open, and I decided I wanted to work with kids.” He worked in child protection for a few years, meanwhile accumulating more qualifications, and he was encouraged to write a book based on his experiences. Wednesday’s Child spawned another eight books based on real cases.