Martin always wanted to be a professional footballer. And he almost was!

Martin was born during a bombing raid on Belfast in the middle of the Second World War. The first night of his life was spent under a table with a metal top sheltering him from the bombs.

Martin writes all kinds of stories for children, including picture books. His books used to be published under two names: Martin Waddell and Catherine Sefton. His Martin Waddell books he describes as 'for amusement only'. He used the pseudonym Catherine Sefton so that he could write serious books that often look at how people relate to one another, and how they deal with different situations. Now all the books are published under the name Martin Waddell.

Martin has lived in Newcastle, County Down, not far outside Belfast for most of his life. As a result, and using his home town as a background, he has written several novels describing how growing up in an era of political unrest affects the lives of ordinary people and especially teenagers.

Martin also writes ghost stories, largely for the fun that a ghost can add but also to show how the past always affects the present.