John Dougherty has always loved reading, so it’s not surprising that he became a writer. With around twenty published books to his name so far, he’s probably best known for the critically acclaimed and very silly Stinkbomb & Ketchup-Face series, inspired by his own children. He is also a poet; his first collection, Dinosaurs & Dinner-Ladies, was published in 2016.

Born in Larne, Northern Ireland, John now lives in Stroud, Gloucestershire. He once harboured ambitions to be a professional musician, and with his band supported acts as varied as Bad Manners, Cast, and Hank Wangford. These days his song writing talents are often put to use writing silly songs for his school and festival appearances, and protest songs for campaigns he supports.  

John is very proud to be a patron of the Chipping Norton Literary Festival and in 2016, alongside Jo Cotterill, he was a guest director of the children’s programme.