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Born in Sydney in 1944, John Flanagan is an acclaimed author, best known for his internationally best-selling YA action series, The Ranger’s Apprentice. He attended Waverley College on an academic scholarship and showed an interest in writing and music from an early age. By the time he left school he was already a regular on the local folk scene with his band, The New York Public Library. He sang lead as well as playing guitar, mandolin and banjo and he also wrote his own songs. He continued playing music throughout his life but his real dream was to be a writer. He started as an advertising copywriter at J Walter Thompson in the mid ‘60s where, via many opportunistic trips to the watercooler by her desk, he met his wife, Leonie. They married in 1967 and had three children, Katie, Penny and Michael. Flanagan’s career in advertising continued to climb and he eventually became creative director at Compton during its ‘70s heyday.

In the mid ‘70s, Flanagan made a bold and pioneering decision to leave his high-flying agency job and freelance because he wanted to spend more time with his children. He successfully freelanced (during a time when it wasn’t the norm) before moving into television as a scriptwriter. He worked in television for the next decade, creating and writing sitcoms before returning once more to freelance copywriting in the late ‘90s. During this period, he began re working a set of short stories originally written for his son Michael, who was small for his age and had been given the derogatory nickname ‘Flea’ by classmates. Wanting to show Michael that heroes come in all sizes, Flanagan created Will, the orphaned ward of Redmont; too small to be a knight, Will is selected instead for the prestigious Rangers (spy) Corps by a gruff but caring mentor, Halt. Flanagan expanded the stories into a series of three books, The Ranger’s Apprentice Series, and the books were sold for a modest sum locally in 2004 but became more highly valued when the US market recognized their potential. The first book (The Ruins of Gorlan) hit the New York Times Bestseller list in 2006 and each subsequent title in the series quickly followed suit. There are 20 Rangers titles, including the Royal Ranger stories and The Early Years prequels.

In 2011, Flanagan expanded the Rangers multiverse to create the equally successful spin-off series, Brotherband, conjuring a parallel world of seafaring Skandian outcasts. There are nine books in the Brotherband series and these books have also been regulars on the NYT Bestseller list. Flanagan has also written three adult titles: the Jesse Parker thriller series (Avalanche Pass, Storm Peak) and the acclaimed nautical history novel, The Grey Raider. Flanagan’s combined sales figures for all titles amount to over 20 million.

He remained married to his wife, Leonie, until his death and their three children bear the hallmarks of his prodigious creativity and bold pioneering spirit. Katie is a comedian and writer, Penny is a musician and writer and Michael runs his own successful café business in the northern ski fields of Japan. Flanagan died peacefully from complications of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and his last days were spent with his wife and children by his side. His final words to his wife were typically understated but poignant, some might say, straight out of the Halt playbook: “It’s really good to see you.”

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