I was born on 12 September 1992 in Timișoara, Romania. At the age of five, I proudly declared to my parents that I had written my first book, called (something along the lines of) The Remarkable Events in the Life of a Green Caterpillar. And from that moment, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. Unlike the caterpillar.
In high school, I studied philology, joined the debate club, and published my first YA novel, Memo Pentru Sine (roughly translated as Self-Reminder). The story was picked up by linguist Sergiu Drincu and literary critic Cornel Ungureanu, who guided me throughout the entire process, and it was published by Mirton Publishing House.
I moved to the UK in 2011 and earned two degrees from the University of Portsmouth: a Bachelor’s in Journalism and Media Studies, and a Master’s in Marketing. Later, I moved to London and gained experience in all things writing and editing at leading trade and academic publishers, including HarperCollins, Little, Brown and SAGE Publishing.
Today I live in Bologna, Italy, with my husband and our ridiculously cute sausage dog, and I work as a freelance writer. I self-published Mindscapes in 2020 and Dorina Supereroina in 2022 (English edition) & 2024 (Italian edition), but most of my work now has little to do with imagination – and lots to do with tech. Still, I’m more than grateful that I get to write for a living. There’s nothing else I’d rather do.
I write for those who filled my formative years with books, movies, and magic. For those who saw the fire in my eyes and wanted to play with it. For those who rekindled my spark when I thought I had lost it. But first, for the girl I’ll never be, for the girl I almost am. Every story is about her – even the ones about other people.
Welcome to my playground! 📚✨
Anca Dunavete 