Kathleen Wendy Herald Peyton , who writes primarily as K. M. Peyton, is a British author of fiction for children and young adults. She has written more than fifty novels including the much loved "Flambards" series of stories about the Russell family which spanned the period before and after the First World War, for which she won both the 1969 Carnegie Medal from the Library Association and the 1970 Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, judged by a panel of British children's writers. In 1979 the Flambards trilogy was adapted by Yorkshire Television as a 13-part TV series, Flambards, starring Christine McKenna as the heroine Christina Parsons.
Biography
Kathleen Herald was born in Birmingham, began writing when she was nine, and was first published when she was fifteen. She "never decided to become a writer... just was one." Growing up in London where she could not have a horse she was obsessed with them: all her early books are about girls who have ponies. After school, she went to Kingston Art School, then Manchester Art School. There she met another student, Mike Peyton, an ex-serviceman who had been a military artist and prisoner of war. He shared her love of walking in the Pennines. They married when she was twenty-one and went travelling around Europe. When they returned to Britain, Peyton completed a teaching diploma. However, after the birth of her second daughter, she turned to writing full-time: mostly boys' adventure stories that she sold as serials to The Scout, magazine of The Scout Association, and later published in full. She began writing as 'K. M. Peyton' at this time; 'M' represented her husband Mike who helped create the plots. The Peytons loved sailing, and her first books were on that subject; soon, however, she returned to her 'first love', horses, and began to write what became the Flambards series. When Peyton became involved with horse racing, she used those experiences as further inspiration for writing. Fidra Books has reissued Fly-By-Night and its sequel, The Team. Oxford University Press, Usborne Publishing and David Fickling Books also publish her work. Writers who cite K M Peyton as an influence include Linda Newbery, whose young adult novelThe Damage Done is dedicated "to Kathleen Peyton, who made me want to try". Flambards was published in Italian, German, Finnish, and Swedish-language editions during the 1970s. WorldCat lists eight other languages of publication for her works in all.
Awards
Peyton won the Guardian Prize for the Flambards trilogy, exceptionally, and won the Carnegie Medal for its second book. She was also a commended runner-up for the Carnegie Medal six times in eight years during the 1960s. One of the books was the first Flambards book, another was the third Flambards book in competition with the Medal-winning second. The others were Windfall, The Maplin Bird, The Plan for Birdmarsh, and Thunder in the Sky. Peyton was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 2014 New Year Honours for services to children's literature.
Adaptations
The Flambards trilogy was adapted by Yorkshire Television in 1978 as a TV series comprising 13 episodes broadcast 1979 in the UK, 1980 in the US: Flambards, starring Christine McKenna as the heroine Christina Parsons. The Right-Hand Man, a historical novel featuring an English stagecoach driver, was adapted as a feature film shot in Australia during 1985 and released there in 1987. Who, Sir? Me, Sir? was adapted as a BBC TV series.
Works
The bibliography of Peyton's "pony books only" by Jane Badger Books includes all nineteen series books and many "other books" listed here.
§ By age fifteen, Kathleen Herald had written "about ten more" novels that publishers rejected with "very nice letters". ‡ Jane Badger Books lists these titles among Peyton's "pony books only" – as well as all nineteen series books listed above.
