Inbali Iserles

As a child

I was born in Jerusalem but moved with my family to Cambridge at the age of three when my father was offered a research fellowship at Kings College. I still recall the journey to reach the peaceful shire town that would be my home for the next 15 years. In particular, I remember the automatic doors of the London Underground and my fear that they'd snap my family in half! At the age of eight, I wrote a poem called 'Rich Cat/Poor Cat' – I recollect with distant delight the sensation of hearing it read to the class and seeing it emblazoned on the wall. I can still recite this poem verbatim. But it would be years of secret scribbling before I was to revisit feline themes in my first book, The Tygrine Cat.

As an adult

I was educated at the universities of Sussex and Cambridge before moving to London to train as a lawyer. I practise today at the same City firm at which I started my training contract in 2002. My legal speciality is Intellectual Property/Technology. This has proven to be useful in my writing endeavours, as a working knowledge of copyright and contract law is no bad thing for an author!

As an artist

The Tygrine Cat is my first book. I came up with the story while flicking through an encyclopedia of cat breeds and pondering the idea of a rivalry between ancient feline tribes. I am currently writing a sequel: while humans are busy with their daily comings and goings, oblivious to cats, the tribes are preparing for war – a war where every cat on earth will be forced to take sides. A chance discovery on a London street set in motion the story for my second book, The Bloodstone Bird. Schoolmates Sash and Verity quickly learn that nothing is what it seems. While the city may look dull, adventure looms around every corner, down gloomy alleyways and even below their feet. Riddles can open secret doors – magical gateways to tropical worlds ...

Things you didn't know about Inbali Iserles

1. I love the taste of aubergine – but because I burned my hand on a roasting one as a child I am scared to touch them.
2. Travelling is my passion. The coldest place I've ever been is Iceland.
3. The hottest place I've ever been is the Sonora Desert in Arizona.
4. The wettest place I've ever been is the Amazon Rainforest.
5. I have a lovely old cat, Wilma, who is 21 years old. That makes her over 100 in cat years!
6. I live in London with four degus - exotic rodents adopted from the RSPCA.
7. My hair has been all of the following colours bar one (guess which?): black, blonde, violet, ginger, brunette and auburn.
8. I won't kill spiders and actively look for them when vacuum cleaning to avoid sucking them up.
9. I am less musical than I'd like to be. According to my sister, I'm the "only person who can make a flute sound like a recorder".
10. I once tried to replicate George's Marvellous Medicine with a friend. It was peppermint green, as thick as tar and smelled of old socks. My friend dutifully gulped it down but I spat out my mouthful when he wasn't looking...

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