Manon Steffan Ros was brought up in Rhiwlas, Bangor, north Wales. She won the Drama Medal twice at the National Eisteddfod (2005 and 2006) and her first novel, "Fel Aderyn" ("Like a Bird") was shortlisted for the Wales Book of the Year award, 2010. She won the Tir na n-Og prize for children's literature twice, in 2010 and 2012, with" Trwy'r Tonnau" ("Through the Waves") and "Prism." Her novel "Blasu "("The Seasoning") was originally published in Welsh to critical acclaim in 2012 and won the 2013 Wales Book of the Year Welsh Fiction category.