John Dougherty was born in Larne, Northern Ireland. He studied psychology at university and then tried his hand at a number of jobs including YMCA hostel worker, factory machine operator, and unsuccessful singer-songwriter, before becoming a primary school teacher.
Whilst John was teaching, his interest in children's literature was reawakened and he soon began writing stories and pestering publishers with them. After the publication of Zeus on the Loose (2004) he left teaching and took up writing full-time, only with more tea breaks. More recent books include the critically-acclaimed Stinkbomb & Ketchup-Face series and his poetry collection, Dinosaurs & Dinner-Ladies.
His books have been shortlisted for a number of prestigious awards and chosen for various book of the week/year roundups by the broadsheets, but more importantly, they make children giggle.
Author's Website: https://www.visitingauthor.com/index.htm
