Gillian Paton Walsh taught English a few years before starting her writing career. She is a founding partner of Green Bay Publishers, but continues to write for adults and (chiefly) for young adults. She is the recipient of a Book World Festival award (1970), a Whitbread Prize (1974), a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award (1976), two Arts Council Creative Writing Fellowships (1976-77 and 1977-78), a Universe Prize (1984), a Smarties Prize Grand Prix (1984).