Kiran Millwood Hargrave is an award-winning poet, playwright, and novelist. The Mercies is her first novel for adults. Her bestselling works for children include The Girl of Ink & Stars and have won numerous awards including the Waterstones Children's Book Prize, the British Book Awards Children's Book of the Year and the Blackwell's Children's Book of the Year. They have also been shortlisted for prizes such as the Costa Children's Book Award, the Blue Peter Best Story Award and the Foyles Book of the Year Award.