Henrietta Branford was born in India and lived with her husband Paul Carter and three children in Southampton. Her books are all based on people she knew. As well as winning the Smarties Prize for Dimanche Diller, she won The Guardian Fiction Award for her longer novel Fire, Bed and Bone [Walker]. Her other books include the picture book Little Pig Figwort ], Ruby Red, Spacebaby, Spacebaby and the Megavolt Monster [all Collins], The Fated Sky [Walker]. Henrietta Branford died of breast cancer on April 23rd, 1999. The Branford Boase award for a first novel is in memory of Henrietta and her editor at Walker, Wendy Boase who both died in the same year.