Gavin Extence was born in 1982 and grew up in the interestingly named village of Swineshead, Lincolnshire. From the ages of 5-11, he enjoyed a brief but illustrious career as a chess player, winning numerous national championships and travelling to Moscow and St Petersburg to pit his wits against the finest young minds in Russia. He won only one game. Gavin's first book, The Universe versus Alex Woods - was a Richard & Judy Book Club choice and one of the Waterstones Eleven; it was also shortlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize, sold over 100,000 copies and is being developed for the big screen. He lives in Sheffield.
