Joseph Delaney

Joseph Delaney
Delaney at Salon du livre 2008 (Paris, France)
Born	Joseph Henry Delaney (1945-07-25) 25 July 1945 (age 71) Preston, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom
Alma mater	Lancaster University

Joseph Henry Delaney (born 25 July 1945) is a British author of science fiction and fantasy books.

Delaney was born in 1945 in Preston, Lancashire. He attended Preston Catholic College and then worked as an apprentice engineer and fitter. He studied A levels at night school before beginning his degree course at Lancaster University in 1972. Following graduation he eventually became an English teacher at the Blackpool Sixth Form College, where he helped start the Media and Film Studies Department.

His first works were written under the pseudonym J. K. Haderack. Beginning with the publication of the first book of The Wardstone Chronicles in 2004, published under his real name, Delaney achieved international success chronicling the adventures of his lead character, Thomas Ward. The Wardstone Chronicles are published in 25 countries, and sales have exceeded a million copies.

Delaney retired from teaching following publication of the second of the Wardstone books and now writes full-time. He identifies J.R.R. Tolkien and Frank Herbert as two authors who were his biggest inspirations. Delaney shares the same name (including middle name) with the late Joseph H. Delaney, an American science fiction author of several books and short stories.

He has three children and nine grandchildren.

The Wardstone Chronicles (published in America as The Last Apprentice) follow Tom Ward, the seventh son of a seventh son, on his adventures as apprentice to John Gregory, the local "Spook" or master fighter of supernatural evil. John is the Spook for "the County" and gives Tom practical instruction on tackling ghosts, ghasts, witches, boggarts, and all manner of other things that serve "The Dark". Tom soon discovers that most of his predecessors have failed for various reasons - including death. As the Chronicles progress the focus expands to other characters such as the assassin Grimalkin and the young witch Alice Dean; overall the series develops the plot line of Tom being destined to either save the world or destroy it. "The County" referred to in the Chronicles is based on Lancashire in the north west of England. Several of the locations mentioned in the books are thinly-veiled versions of actual places; Priestown is the author's hometown of Preston, Caster is Lancaster, Black Pool is Blackpool, and Chipenden is Chipping.