Celia Rees was born in Solihull Britain. She went to college at Warwick University where she earned a degree in history and politics. She then became a teacher and taught English in secondary schools for seventeen years. It was during this time that she began to write. Celia's writing sprouted as a response to the pupils the was teaching. The students wanted exciting stories that were set in their country, Britain. Celia came up with a story, and it became her fist novel, which was published in 1993. Since then Celia has published many different types of books. She writes for an audience of older children and teenagers because she feels there are fewer restraints on what they can absorb.
Most of her works have been published in England, but her latest two, Witch Child and Sorceress, were released in America. Witch Child is set in 1659 at the height of witch persecution on both sides of the Atlantic. The book's protagonist, Mary Newburry, witnesses the trial and execution of her dear grandmother, and later escapes to America to start a new life. Sorceress is the sequel to Witch Child and hold answers and additional links to the story of Mary Newburry. Almost all of Celia Rees's books contain an element of fear. Three of her books, City of Shadows, A Trap in Time, and The Host Rides out are written as a trilogy and stay true to this theme.
The book Witch Child was entertaining and suspenseful, opening an exciting window to a part of history. There was never a dull moment in the story, which comes to an end that satisfies yet leaves room for more in the form of the sequel Sorceress. Celia derives all her ideas for books from the world around her. The idea for Witch Child came to her while she was visiting an American museum near Bath. I believe all authors put pieces of themselves into their characters whether they intend to or not. Celia Rees's talented writing fuses her experiences with imagination and real life history.
