Hi I’m Stacy! I like to think I’m a busy hard-working author writing award-winning, multi million copy books, but according to my horses, my enormous dog and my two very demanding cats I am the totally useless clot who holds the keys to the food cupboard and hasn’t yet noticed their bowls and hay nets are utterly empty as usual and OMG why can’t I stop ignoring them all and get my act together right this minute and stop writing this stupid website thingy and FEED THEM IMMEDIATELY!!!!

Yes, I have lots of animals, and yes I write animal books because I think you should write about the things you love. In the past that's meant I've written a whole heap of books about horses (click here to see some of them). Then last year I wrote one with a talking eel and that book won a massive award which just goes to prove eels are way better than ponies. Maybe. Or maybe not. Anyway, the eel book, Nine Girls, is set in Ngāruawāhia which is where I grew up. If you are struggling to spell Ngāruawāhia I suggest you read Nine Girls because it will teach you a memory trick and you'll never forget again. Ngāruawāhia is famous for being the home of the Māori Queen, and it's also the home of many of my tūpuna (ancestors). I am Māori and I whakapapa to (descend from) Ngāti Mahuta, Ngati Pukeko and Ngāti Maru Hauraki.

These days I live in Auckland, but I am published by Simon & Schuster who are based in London and my books are sold all over the UK and New Zealand and Australia (where I was born, in Melbourne, it's a long story) and also I am published in different languages all around the world.  Plus when I was writing my eight standalone pony novels I travelled to all the places where the books are set which means I've been to Iceland, Russia, France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Jordan which is where I wrote my book The Princess and the Foal and got to meet the real-life Princess who inspires the story.

My latest book though is all about cats. The hero and narrator of The Last Journey, Pusskin, leads a charmed life with his beloved owner, eleven-year-old Lottie, until he is suddenly wrenched from his cosy suburban cul de sac by global events and must protect the lives of his cat friends, fulfill his destiny and change the world. I truly think it is the most very special of adventures I have ever written (I cried buckets when I was writing it) and it has the most incredible illustrations by Suzie Mason and I hope you will love it as much as I do. And if you want more news of my upcoming books then join my VIP readers’ club to see what's next.