Livi Michael Popular Books

Livi Michael Biography & Facts

Livi Michael, also known as Olivia Michael (15 March 1960, Manchester), UK, is a British fiction writer who publishes children and adult novels. Career Michael began writing poetry at the age of seven. She attended Tameside College of Technology; University of Leeds and completed her B.A (English) with first-class honours in 1989. Her career as a novelist started with her first novel, Under a Thin Moon in 1992. In addition to her writing, Michael also worked as a university lecturer teaching creative writing, and ran reading groups about women's fiction. She began writing novels for adults in 1992, before writing her first children's novel in 2002, called Frank and the Black Hamster of Narkiz. While she was in the process of writing her first novel, she continued her education and completed her doctorate in 1993 at the University of Leeds, where she earned a dissertation named Towards a Theory of Working Class Writing: Lewis Grassic Gibbon's A Scots Quair in the Context of Earlier Working Class Fiction. Livi Michael completed her second novel while teaching English literature and creative writing part-time at Manchester Metropolitan University until 1998. She went on to teach English literature and creative writing for the Department of Cultural Studies at Sheffield Hallam University as well as writing novels for children, giving workshops and visiting schools. Writing influences One of her influences comes from the fact that she was raised in a single-parent home by her mother and was a single mother herself, which made her aware of the effects of poverty on women’s lives. She highlights the world of poor and working-class women through the characters in her novels. One of the factors that influenced her children's books was her son's hamster named "Frank". She describes Frank as an "adventurous hamster, and something of an escapologist". Notable works Under a Thin Moon (1992) Livi Michael's first novel, Under a Thin Moon (1992) depicts the lives of four working class women living on a Manchester council estate, during the period of British Conservative politician Margaret Thatcher. Political elements such as capitalism and patriarchy are prominent in the novel, and criticised for the impoverished state of the women as they struggle with poverty and unemployment. Frank and the Black Hamster of Narkiz (2002) Frank and the Black Hamster of Narkiz (2002) is a novel for younger children. It is a story of a brave hamster named Frank, who escapes from his cage and undertakes an adventurous journey to meet the mysterious black hamster of Narkiz. After the success of the first novel, Michael went on to write a series of novels on Frank's adventures. The Whispering Road (2005) This young adult novel mixed history and fantasy to look at issues such as death, disease and abandonment through the lives of siblings Joe and Anne. Awards and honors Bibliography Books for adults 2023 Reservoir, Salt 2016 Ascension (Part 3), Penguin 2015 Succession (Part 2), St. Martin's Press 2015 Rebellion (Part 1), Penguin 2000 Inheritance, Penguin 1997 All the Dark Air, Secker & Warburg 1994 Their Angel Reach, Secker & Warburg 1992 Under a Thin Moon, Secker & Warburg Books for older children 2012 Malkin Child, Foxtail 2009 Faerie Heart, Puffin 2005 The Whispering Road, Puffin 2006 The Angel Stone, Puffin 2008 Sky Wolves, Puffin Books for younger children 2023 Goose Girl 2009 43 Bin Street 2007 City of Dogs, Putnam 2006 Seventeen Times as High as the Moon, Orchard 2005 Frank and the New Narkiz, Puffin 2004 Frank and the Flames of Truth, Puffin 2003 Frank and the Chamber of Fear, Puffin 2002 Frank and the Black Hamster of Narkiz, Puffin Personal life Michael has two sons and lives in Oldham, Lancashire. See also References External links Official website Livi Michael at British Council: Literature Livi Michael at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database Livi Michael at Library of Congress, with 5 library catalogue records. Discover the Livi Michael popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Livi Michael books.