Joseph Delaney

Joseph Delaney is the author of the entire series of Arena 13 Books.

Brief Description
Joseph Henry Delaney (Pronunciation: Dee-Lay-Nee) also known as J.K. Haderack is an English full-time children's author. Joseph Delaney is most noted for his creation The Wardstone Chronicles but has also been the author of the Arena 13 series. His first novel in the spooks series was adapted into a film.

Arena 13 Trilogy

 * Arena 13 (2015)
 * Arena 13: The Prey (2016)
 * Arena 13: The Warrior (2017)

Other Works

 * Mercer's Whore (written under the pen-name J.K. Haderack) (1997)
 * Mysterious Erotic Tales (writing as J.K. Haderack – Contributing author of Elvara Should Be Easy to this short story anthology) (1996)
 * Half-Minute Horrors (Contributing author of All Fingers and Thunbs to this short story anthology) (2009)
 * Haunted (Contributing author of The Castle Ghots to this short story anthology) (2011)

The Wardstone Chronicles

 * The Spook's Apprentice (2004)
 * The Spook's Curse (2005)
 * The Spook's Secret (2006)
 * The Spook's Battle (2007)
 * The Spook's Mistake (2008)
 * The Spook's Sacrifice (2009)
 * The Spook's Nightmare (2010)
 * The Spook's Destiny (2011)
 * Spook's: I Am Grimalkin (2011)
 * The Spook's Blood (2012)
 * Spook's: Slithers Tale (2013)
 * The Spook's: Alice (2013)
 * The Spook's Revenge (2014)

The Starblade Chronicles

 * Spook's: A New Darkness (2014)
 * Spook's: The Dark Army (2016)
 * Spook's: The Dark Assassin (2017)

Spin-offs

 * The Spook's Tale (2009)
 * The Spook's Stories: Witches (2009)
 * The Last Apprentice: The Spook's Tale And Other Horrors (2009)
 * The Spook's Bestiary (2010)
 * The Ghost Prison (2013)
 * The Last Apprentice: The Seventh Apprentice (2015)

Life and career
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.