Victoria Clayton, née Walker, (born 1947) is a British author. She began writing at her parents' house in Cambridgeshire (after a couple of years living a bohemian lifestyle in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

). When dining one night in London she sat next to Bill McCreadle of publisher

Rupert Hart-Davis Sir Rupert Charles Hart-Davis (28 August 1907 – 8 December 1999) was an English publisher and editor. He founded the publishing company Rupert Hart-Davis Ltd. As a biographer, he is remembered for his ''Hugh Walpole'' (1952), as an editor, f ...

who agreed to look at her manuscript, and in 1969, when she was just 21, he decided to publish what became ''The Winter of Enchantment''. Its sequel, ''The House Called Hadlows'', was published in 1972. The books concern a boy called Sebastian who enters another world through a magic mirror. He meets a girl called Melissa who has been imprisoned by an evil Enchanter and resolves to rescue her. In the second book Sebastian and Melissa release a house from a curse made by the Evil One. After spending four years living in rural

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

and the

Isle of Skye The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye (; gd, An t-Eilean Sgitheanach or ; sco, Isle o Skye), is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated ...

, Clayton went to the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

to study English. After graduation she married and spent many years living in the country and bringing up her children. In 1997, she returned to writing books: ''Out of Love'' was her first adult's book. ''Past Mischief'' (1998), ''Dance with me'' (1999), ''Running Wild'' (2000), ''Clouds Among the Stars'' (2003), ''Moonshine'' (2004), ''A Girl's Guide to Kissing Frogs'' (2007) and ‘’Stormy Weather’’(2011), followed. Both of Victoria's children's books - "The Winter of Enchantment" and "The House Called Hadlows" - have been reissued by

Fidra Books Fidra Books is a publisher based in Edinburgh specializing in reissues of bygone children's books, mainly those from the 1940s onwards. Foundation and range The firm was set up in 2005 by Malcolm and Vanessa Robertson, who also opened Edinbur ...

. She is married and has two children.

References

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Clayton, Victoria 1947 births Living people Alumni of the University of Cambridge British children's writers