The Hug

Eoin Mclaughlin is a Sunday Times bestselling author of children's books, best known for his Hedgehog & Friends series. His books have been translated into 29 languages, acclaimed as Books of the Year by The Irish Times and The Guardian, and read on the BBC on Christmas Day. Before becoming an author, Mclaughlin was a Creative Director at Channel 4 where he promoted shows such as Derry Girls, The Paralympics and The Great British Bake Off. His films have been shown at the Cannes International Film Festival's Court Métrage and are held in the permanent collection at The Museum of Modern Art, NYC. Originally from New Ross, Ireland, Mclaughlin now lives in Mauritius.

Ciaran Saward was born in Essex where he was lucky to live near a public library and have parents (and a cassette player) that read stories to him. After studies in Cornwall and Germany, he has narrated more than 100 audiobooks, with warm reviews in AudioFile magazine. Ciaran has performed in bestselling audio dramas, comedy podcasts, and AAA video games, including the award-winning Bunny vs Monkey by Jamie Smart and E.C. Bateman's series The Stamford Mysteries. He has also volunteered with Talking Newspapers for the blind.