Born twenty miles from London on May 23rd, Susan Cooper grew up, as she says, "mostly English, partly Welsh." Writing from the time she was eight, she took a degree in English from Oxford, and wrote feature articles for London's Sunday Times. She wrote several adult novels before writing Over Sea, Under Stone, the first of the Dark is Rising novels. In 1963, she married an American and moved to Massachusetts. They had three children. Well-known for her fantasy novels, it is perhaps her Welsh-based novels, The Dark is Rising series, which have won her the most acclaim. More recent novels such as The Boggart, The Green Boy, and Seaward, have been set in other parts of the world. Her collection of essays, Dreams and Wishes, provides her insight into the world of writing.

After finishing the Dark is Rising series, Ms. Cooper began writing plays. She wrote for the Christmas Revels and collaborated with Hume Cronyn on Foxfire, for which Jessica Tandy won an Emmy award and Susan Cooper was nominated for an Emmy. She worked once again with Mr. Cronyn on The Dollmaker, which was awarded a Humanitas award. Hume Cronyn won a Tony award for his performance on Broadway in To Dance with the White Dog, Ms. Cooper's adaptation of a Terry Kay novel. In 1996, Susan Cooper married Hume Cronyn, her long-time friend and collaborator. Sadly, Mr. Cronyn passed away in June of 2003. Her most recent books are Frog, a picture book, and King of Shadows, set partially in Shakespearean England.