Charles Hope is an editor, proofreader, picture researcher and writer of non-fiction picture books.
He grew up in the famous Riverina town of Wagga Wagga, a town obsessed by sport. Despite his latent talent as a cricketer (he once bowled a 12-ball over), he always found time to read.
Charles fondly remembers reading a run of Roald Dahl’s books in Year 1 — from James and the Giant Peach, through to Matilda and the BFG — which ignited a passion for writing.
Another favourite reading staple were comic books, especially The Phantom, Richie Rich and Archie & Jughead. Whether in the car while his mother shopped at Woolies, or while his brother and sister helped their grandparents round up the sheep, Charles could often be found hiding with his nose in a comic.
Comics led to the study of cinema and classics at university, which led to a professional screenwriting course at RMIT. He slid sideways from film to books as a work-experience student when he happened upon Wild Dog Books and hasn’t looked back since.
