Marcus was born and raised in a small village in Kent, in the South-east of England.

Alongside a 16 year career in publishing he established himself as a widely-admired writer of Young Adult (YA) fiction; his books have either been shortlisted for, or won, over thirty awards, including the Booktrust Teenage Book Award, the Carnegie Medal, the Edgar Allan Poe Award, and the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize. His latest title is White Crow. He is author of over 15 books for young people, including two vampire novels for Teens: My Swordhand is Singing and The Kiss of Death

He now writes full time, is Writer in Residence at Bath Spa University, teaches creative writing, and is currently working on film and other projects with his brother, Julian.


He has illustrated some of his books, and has provided wood-engravings for a couple of private press books. In his spare time he plays the drums, and carves stone.