Nicola Heaney

Peter Heaney was a primary school teacher and story teller in his native Derry for more than 40 years. He believed that story-telling could create a rich world for children to explore and learn from. During his teaching career, exchanges with other story tellers provided many opportunities to share stories with children from Moscow to Kentucky. Nicola Heaney was born and raised in Derry. After studying in Scotland, she moved to England where she taught English Literature to teenagers for over a decade before deciding to focus on her writing. Her poetry has been published in a number of journals across the UK and Ireland. Conor Busuttil is a children’s picture book illustrator and passionate doodler. His most recent works include projects for the Blue Peter "Here be Dragons" competition, the exhibition and trail for Kew Gardens and working with Hampton Court Palace to bring their history to life for children. He was recently selected by The Eric Carle Museum as a rising star.  Conor is a lover of all things nature. Growing up in a small country village on the Strangford Lough coast in County Down, he spent many a day exploring the marshy farmlands for tadpoles and newts, and the rocky coastline in search of the mysterious creatures the tide left behind in its seaweedy pools.