I am a writer with an inordinate fondness for beetles.

My name is Maya, and I live in Brighton with my partner and my two sons. I write middle-grade and young adult fiction, gravitating towards stories sprinkled with magical realism and dripping with darkness.

I write every day, in the quiet hours of the morning, when my children are sleeping, and on the commute into London’s theatreland. I work as a Digital Media Producer for the National Theatre, and prior to the NT worked at the Royal Opera House and Shakespeare’s Globe.

I spent my early career in the music industry, running an independent record label called Setanta Records, and managing bands, most notably The Divine Comedy. After leaving the music industry, and before I got digital, I trained as an actor and dabbled in directing and producing as well as performing.

My debut, The Battle of the Beetles, is the story of Darkus Cuttle, a thirteen-year-old boy with an army of extraordinary beetles, and his fight to rescue his kidnapped father.

Find me, and beetles, here: www.mgleanard.com
Tweet me: @MGLnrd

And if you like my stories, please vote. It makes my day.