Stephen Cole (writer) facts for kids

Stephen Cole (born 1971), also known as Steve Cole, is an English author. He writes many books for children and young adults, especially in the science fiction genre.

Before becoming a full-time author, he worked for BBC Worldwide. From 1997 to 1999, he helped manage the merchandise for the famous TV show Doctor Who. He also worked as an executive producer for some Doctor Who audio stories made by Big Finish Productions.

In 2013, it was announced that Steve Cole would continue the popular Young Bond series. This series is about the adventures of a young James Bond. He added four new books to the series, starting with Shoot to Kill in 2014.

Early Life and Career

Steve Cole grew up in the countryside of Bedfordshire, England. He went to the University of East Anglia from 1989 to 1992. There, he studied English literature and film. He graduated with top honors.

After university, he worked briefly in local radio. In 1993, he joined BBC Children's Magazines. By 1996, he was in charge of magazines for pre-school children. In the summer of 1996, he wrote his first children's books. These included Cars on Mars and Alien Olympics. They were pop-up poetry books published the next year.

Around that time, BBC Books got the rights to publish new Doctor Who stories. This happened after the 1996 Doctor Who TV movie. New series of books, like the Eighth Doctor Adventures, were planned. Steve Cole was a big fan of Doctor Who. He applied for a job as Project Editor for Sci-Fi Titles and got it.

After the first six books in the Eighth Doctor Adventures came out, Cole also edited the BBC's Short Trips short story collections. He even started writing some of these stories himself. He used different names, called pseudonyms, like "Tara Samms" and "Paul Grice". He has used these names for other works too. This includes the 2003 Doctor Who novella Frayed. He also wrote several short stories and audio plays for Big Finish Productions.

Besides books, he also chose and shortened stories for Doctor Who audiobooks. He also picked TV episodes to be released on video.

Writing His Own Stories

Working on 22 long novels a year, plus other books and audio, was a lot of work. In 1999, Steve Cole changed roles. He became a Special Development Editor in the Children's department. In this role, he helped create and write children's books. These books were often connected to TV shows like Walking With Dinosaurs. He still helped with some Doctor Who novels for a while. Later, author-editor Justin Richards took over these books.

In October 1999, Cole left BBC Worldwide. He became the Managing Editor for Ladybird Books. He kept writing books based on TV shows and movies. However, he really missed writing his own original fiction. After working as a senior editor at Simon and Schuster Children's Books, he decided to become a freelance writer in 2002. This meant he could focus more on writing his own stories.

Steve Cole's first original fiction was a series called The Wereling. This was a trilogy of horror books for young adults. After that, he wrote another trilogy about a clever, but mischievous, teen named Jonah Wish. These books were Thieves Like Us, Thieves Till We Die, and The Bloodline Cipher. He has also written more Doctor Who books, including some linked to the new TV series.

His most popular books are the Astrosaurs series for children. These books are published under the name Steve Cole. The first two Astrosaurs books came out in 2005. There are now 22 Astrosaurs books. There's even a special edition for World Book Day. Following Astrosaurs, he created the Cows In Action series. The first two Cows In Action books were published in 2007. There are twelve books in this series. The Astrosaurs also have a spin-off series called Astrosaurs Academy, which started in 2008 and has 8 books.

Books by Steve Cole

Steve Cole has written many books and series. Here are some of his most well-known works:

Astrosaurs Series

This popular series features dinosaurs in space! There are 22 books in the main Astrosaurs series.

• Riddle of the Raptors (2005)
• The Hatching Horror (2005)
• The Seas of Doom (2005)
• ...and many more exciting adventures!

Cows in Action Series

This series follows cows on action-packed missions. There are 12 books in this series.

• The Ter-moo-nators (2007)
• The Moo-my's Curse (2007)
• The Roman Moo-stery (2007)
• ...and other fun cow adventures!

Astrosaurs Academy Series

This spin-off series explores the training of young Astrosaurs. There are 8 books in this series.

• Destination: Danger! (2008)
• Contest Carnage (2008)
• Terror Underground (2008)
• ...and more academy challenges!

The Slime Squad Series

This series features a team that fights gross and strange threats. There are 8 books in this series.

• The Slime Squad vs The Toxic Teeth
• The Slime Squad vs The Fearsome Fists
• ...and other slimy battles!

The Hunting (or Z) Trilogy

This is a trilogy of books.

• Z. Rex
• Z. Raptor
• Z. Apocalypse

Tripwire Series

This series includes:

• Tripwire
• Tripwire DEATHWING

Young Adult Fiction

Steve Cole has also written books for older teens.

The Wereling Trilogy

This is a horror trilogy about a wereling.

• The Wereling: Wounded (2003)
• The Wereling II: Prey (2004)
• The Wereling III: Resurrection (2004)

Thieves Like Us Trilogy

This trilogy follows the adventures of a teen genius.

• Thieves Like Us (2006)
• The Aztec Code (2007)
• The Bloodline Cipher (2008)

Young James Bond Series

Steve Cole continued the adventures of a young James Bond. He wrote four books in this series.

• Shoot to Kill (2014)
• Heads You Die (2016)
• Strike Lightning (2016)
• Red Nemesis (2017)

Doctor Who Novels

Steve Cole has written several novels based on the popular Doctor Who TV show.

• Parallel 59 (2000)
• The Monsters Inside (2005)
• The Feast of the Drowned (2006)
• ...and many more exciting Doctor Who adventures!

Other Children's Books

He has also written other children's books linked to TV shows.

• The Adventures of Mr. Bean: Bear Essentials (2002)
• Sea Captain Ned (2004)

Works for Big Finish Productions

Steve Cole has also written stories for Big Finish Productions. These are often audio plays.

Doctor Who Audio Plays

He has written several audio plays for Doctor Who.

• The Land of the Dead (1999)
• The Apocalypse Element (2001)
• The Whispering Forest (2010)
• ...and other Doctor Who audio adventures!