Matt Whyman

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	Photo: © Matt Whyman

Biography

Matt Whyman is a young-adult novelist and a long-standing advice columnist for many teenage magazines. Born in 1969, he grew up in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, and has an MA in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia (1992). Since then, he has taught creative writing projects across the UK, and for the British Council in Russia and the Middle East.

In 1995, Matt became the first male advice columnist for 19 magazine. He went on to hold a 10-year residency as AOL UK's online agony uncle, and has created many national health awareness campaigns for BBC Radio 1 and Brook Advisory, among others. He also writes widely on teenage issues for magazines, websites and newspapers, and often appears on radio and television in this role. He co-presented a series of ITV's controversial Saturday morning sex and relationships show, Love Bites, and is currently the agony uncle for Bliss, one of the UK's best-selling magazines for girls. 

Matt Whyman's first novels were for adults: Man or Mouse (2000), and Columbia Road (2002). Both titles are romantic comedies that address the impact of technology on relationships. He has since written much darker works of fiction, often set outside the UK, as well as non-fiction titles for teenagers. He has also contributed short stories to a number of anthologies, and was a judge for the 2005 Booktrust Teenage Prize.

His teenage novels are: Superhuman(2003); Boy Kills Man (2004), a critically acclaimed story of Colombian child assassins, which is published in translation around the world and currently being adapted for film; The Wild (2005), a novella set in Kazakhstan and Russia; and So Below (2005), for younger readers - an urban fantasy novel set under the streets of London. Inside the Cage (2007), is an Arctic-based thriller about teenage hackers and CIA ghost flights. His latest novels are Street Runner (2008); Goldstrike (2009); and Icecore (2009).

He has also written several non-fiction advice books, including a set of 'Wise Guides' on subjects such as smoking, drinking and family break up. XY: A Toolkit for Life (2002) and XY100: one hundred strategies for life (2004), are both popular and well-respected titles for teenage boys.

Matt Whyman lives in West Sussex. He is married with four children.

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Genres (in alphabetical order)

Children, Fiction, Young adult

Bibliography

New Writing 2   (contributor)   Minerva Press, 1993

Wise Guides: Divorce and Separation   Hodder Children's Books, 1999

Man or Mouse   Flame, 2000

NEL Book of Internet Stories   (contributor)   New English Library, 2000

Wise Guides: Smoking   Hodder Children's Books, 2000

Boys' Night In/Girls' Night Out   (contributor)   HarperCollins, 2001

Columbia Road   Flame, 2002

Wise Guides: Drinking   Hodder Children's Books, 2002

XY: A Toolkit for Life   Hodder Children's Books, 2002

Superhuman   Hodder Children's Books, 2003

Boy Kills Man   Hodder Children's Books, 2004

XY 100: one hundred strategies for life   Hodder Children's Books, 2004

So Below   Simon & Schuster, 2005

The Wild   Hodder Children's Books, 2005

Twelve Days   (contributor)   Virago, 2005

Wise Guides: Family Break Up   Hodder Children's Books, 2005

Inside the Cage   Simon & Schuster, 2007

The Red House Young Writer's Year Book   (editor)   The Book People, 2007

Unzipped: A Toolkit for Life   Hodder Children's Books, 2007

Street Runners   Simon & Schuster, 2008

Goldstrike   Simon & Schuster, 2009

Icecore: A Thriller   Atheneum Books, 2009

Read about books by Matt Whyman at encompassculture.com - the British Council's book database and global online book club

Buy books by Matt Whyman at Amazon.co.uk

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Prizes and awards

2004   Booktrust Teenage Prize   (shortlist)   Boy Kills Man

2005   Stockport Schools' Book Award   (shortlist)   Boy Kills Man

2006   De Jong Jury (Netherlands)   (shortlist)   Boy Kills Man

2006   Wirral Paperback of the Year   (shortlist)   Boy Kills Man

2006   Renfrewshire Teenage Book Award   (shortlist)   The Wild

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Contact information

Publisher (General enquiries) Hodder Children's Books c/o Hodder Headline 338 Euston Road London  NW1 3BH England Tel: +44(0)20 7873 6000 Fax: +44(0)20 7873 6024 http://www.hodderheadline.co.uk		Agent LAW (Lucas Alexander Whitley) 14 Vernon Street LONDON  W14 0RJ Tel: 020 7471 7900 Fax: 020 7471 7910
Also published by Simon & Schuster 1st floor 222 Gray's Inn Road London  WC1X 8HB England Tel: +44 (0)20 7316 1900 Fax: +44 (0)20 7316 0332 E-mail: enquiries@simonandschuster.co.uk http://www.simonsays.co.uk

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Related links

http:/ / www.mattwhyman.com

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