Biog:
Tabitha Suzuma is of Anglo-Japanese descent and was born in London, the eldest of five children. She attended a French school in the UK and grew up bilingual. However, she hated school and would sit at the back of the class and write stories. Aged 14, Tabitha left school against her parents' wishes. She got a job as an assistant dance teacher and also worked at a centre for children with Cerebral Palsy. She continued her education through distance learning and went on to study French Literature at King's College London. After graduating, Tabitha worked as a primary school teacher and wrote her first novel, A Note of Madness, whilst teaching full-time. In 2004 Tabitha left classroom teaching and began to divide her time between writing and tutoring. This gave her time to write her next four novels: From Where I Stand - a psychological thriller. Without Looking Back - about a family on the run. A Voice in the Distance - sequel to A Note of Madness. And then her latest book, and most controversial and challenging book to date: FORBIDDEN, about consensual sibling incest: a brother and sister who fall in love. Tabitha is currently working on her sixth novel, due to be published in 2012.

Awards and nominations:
Winner of the Young Minds Book Award, winner of the Stockport Book Award, winner of the Premio Speciale Cariparma for European Literature Award, shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award, twice shortlisted for the Lancashire Book of the Year Award, shortlisted for the Catalyst Book Award, shortlisted for the Young Minds Book Award, shortlisted for the Stockport Book Award, nominated for the UKLA Book Award, nominated for the Angus Book Award, twice nominated for the Waterstone's Book Prize, twice nominated for the Carnegie Medal. (2006 - present)

Books:

A Note of Madness

'A hard-hitting, rollercoaster ride of a novel about a teenage musical genius suffering from bipolar disorder.' (Random House, 2006)

From Where I Stand

'He will stop at nothing to avenge his mother's murder. Even if it the price is his own life...' (Random House, 2007)

A Voice in the Distance

'When you lose yourself, you can lose everything...' Sequel to A Note of Madness. (Random House 2008)

Without Looking Back

'Just another missing persons poster - until he realized the face on it was his own . . .' (Random House, 2009)

Forbidden

'How can something so wrong feel so right?' (Random House, 2010 - Simon & Schuster US 2011 - Mondadori (It) 2011 - Oetinger (Ger) 2011 - Danish edition coming soon)