The Midnight Charter

David Whitley was born in Chester in 1984 and graduated from the University of Oxford with a double First in English Literature and a passion for writing Children’s fiction.  At age 17 his first children’s novel was shortlisted for the Kathleen Fidler Award and at 20 he won the Cheshire Prize for Literature for a children’s short story, the youngest writer ever to win this prestigious award. Presented by Children’s Laureate Michael Morpurgo, who said some very complimentary words, the award was sponsored by Maryland Bank of North America and the £2000 prize helped David to spend a postgraduate year writing The Midnight Charter.  Whilst his first and overriding aim is to write fiction, David is also a scholar, particularly interested in the works of Jonathan Swift and his contemporaries; he had just received an offer of a place at Oxford to study for a Master’s Degree when his book was picked up by Puffin and Roaring Brook Press.  Although David’s primary medium is the written word, he is no stranger to performance. As well as straight acting, he is an in-demand bass-baritone having taken several leading roles in musical theatre. David’s numerous ‘serious’ music credits include Masetto in Mozart’s Don Giovanni for Carte Blanche Opera and concert performances of Tosca, Tannhauser and Peter Grimes under the baton of the late Richard Hickox, musical director of Opera Australia. As well as appearing on stage himself, he has also enjoyed directing youth drama. In his home town he has worked with The King’s Players to direct and produce two musicals and a play between 2006 and 2009, including Sondheim’s Assassins and Into the Woods. David loves giving readings of his stories, to audiences of all ages.

Simon Vance is the critically acclaimed narrator of approximately 400 audiobooks, winner of 27 AudioFile Earphones Awards, and a 12-time Audie Award-winner. He won an Audie in 2006 in the category of Science Fiction and was named the 2011 Best Voice in Biography and History and in 2010 Best Voice in Fiction by AudioFile magazine. 

 Vance has been a narrator for the past 25 years, and also worked for many years as a BBC Radio presenter and newsreader in London.  Some of his best-selling and most praised audiobook performances include Stieg Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Hilary Mantel’s Bring Up the Bodies (an Audie award-winner), Ian Fleming’s Casino Royale, Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, Patrick O’Brian’s Master and Commander series (all 21 titles), the new productions of Frank Herbert’s original Dune series, and Rob Gifford’s China Road (an AudioFile 2007 Book of the Year). Vance lives near San Francisco with his wife and two sons.