As you may have heard, Erin Hunter is actually three people! She is experienced children's book writers Kate Cary, Cherith Baldry, and Victoria Holms, who all live in the UK. Vicky comes up with the story ideas and makes sure the books stay consistent, and Kate and Cherith take it in turns to write the books. They came up with the single name, Erin Hunter, to avoid confusing their readers by having books from the same series filed in different places on the bookshelves.
CHERITH BALDRY
I grew up on a farm, so of course I grew up with
cats--working cats who kept down the mice in the house and barns, but were still
friendly house cats who would play and curl up on a lap. My first cat after I
married was a gray tabby called Tomlyn. We acquired him while we were out in
Africa, teaching at the University of Sierra Leone. He was part Siamese, part
African bush cat, and one of the friendliest cats I've ever known. When we came
back to the UK we brought him with us. Although he had to stay in quarantine for
six months, he didn't forget us, and when we went to visit him he climbed all
over us, shedding hair and purring like mad! My next cat was called Schrodinger,
after the Austrian physicist--my husband Peter was a scientist. He was ginger
and white and very playful. My two sons, Will and Adam, grew up with him, so he
will always have a special place in their hearts. Peter died a few years ago,
and Will and Adam are grown up now, so I share my home with two cats, Bramble
and Sorrel. Sorrel is a tiny tortoiseshell cat, very dainty and demanding.
Bramble is a dark tabby, quiet and dignified, a real gentleman. When I'm
working, Bramble comes and sits on my lap. Sorrel comes and sits on the work.
They have their own secret lives as Brambleclaw and Sorreltail, and I love
writing Warriors so that I can imagine a cat's eye view of the world. There'll
always be something mysterious about cats, and that's one of the reasons why I
love them.
KATE CARY
I have loved cats since I was a child. My
dad gave me a kitten when I was six--a small, black, gentle cat. She would
follow me around the house waiting for me to sit down so she could clamber onto
my lap and purr. Since then I have never been without a cat. Even at university
I found a cat to love--a black tom who lived in the halls of residence. He would
slip into my room and sleep on my bed. And when I left university and set up my
own home, the first thing I acquired was a cat. I have two cats, Flower and
Miu-Miu--a brother and sister we found in a rescue home. They love sleeping on
Warriors manuscripts while I'm working at my computer. My elder cat, Willow, has
recently gone to live with StarClan. Flower and Miu-Miu graciously share their
home with my partner, Geof, and my seven-year-old son, Joshua, who love them
almost as much as I do. Although Willow, Flower, and Miu-Miu are soft kittypets,
I know that at night, while I'm tucked up in bed, they go out exploring a world
all their own. Writing Warriors gives me the chance to imagine that world. I
used to worry about my cats, out alone in the dark. But the ThunderClan cats
have taught me that there is nothing to fear, only adventures to be enjoyed.
VICTORIA HOLMES
I grew up on a farm and love all
animals, including cats, but most especially dogs and horses. This comes in very
handy when I need to send cats to a sticky end--I'd have a lot more trouble
killing off a dog or a horse! I love being one of the Erins, and frequently
dream of being a cat running through a forest when I am coming up with new story
lines. Teaming up with Kate and Cherith on the Warriors books is an
unconventional way of working, but we love writing the books together and it
means we can produce them much faster than a single writer could. We each have
our favorite characters and ideas for what could happen next, which means the
stories have three times as much energy and passion!