the author

Claire McQuoid is the author and illustrator of Tilly the Giraffe and Her Amazing Escape. Claire lives with her husband and two dogs in Cumbria, a stone's throw away from where Tilly's adventure takes place. She turned her hand to many different jobs before she started writing about the adventurous giraffe once freezing cold morning in January 2006. In a not too distant life, she worked as a criminologist/sociologist in a university.

The inspiration for the book can be found in her passion for the natural world as well as her passion for the Langdale Valley where she regularly walks and scrambles in all weathers. Her interest in animals and the environment - and a particular fascination with giraffes, got her thinking about how a giraffe calf might survive in a mountainous area, such as the Langdale Valley. The outcome of her wandering mind was the beautiful character of tilly, an endangered kordofan giraffe.

When Claire is not writing, she likes nothing better than to be out walking in the Langdale Valley or Scotland; travelling to other parts of the world, or spending time with family and friends. Her other interests include vegetarian cooking, snorkeling, photography, the natural world, music, badminton, swimming and the cinema.

Would you like to ask Claire a question about her book?