Jenny Nimmo lives in a converted watermill in Wales. Her husband, David, is a painter and print-maker, and all three of her children speak Welsh fluently. She finds Wales, a land of legends, a very inspiring place to live.
For as long as she can remember, Jenny has loved books. At boarding school, reading was her way to overcome loneliness or boredom. However, she is aware that not everyone finds reading comes easily, and feels passionately that every child should have all the help they need, and access to as many books as they want.
In 1986 her book, The Snow Spider, won the Smarties Grand Prix, and in 1987 it was awarded the Tir na n-Og by the Welsh Arts Council. She wrote the sequels, Emlyn's Moon and The Chestnut Soldier, because she was unable to let go of the characters in The Snow Spider, and needed to find out what would become of them. She enjoys writing about magic because it is inexplicable and unpredictable, and anything can happen. The Rinaldi Ring, was chosen as Guardian Book of the Week and was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal and received a commendation.