John Owen Theobald is a Canadian fiction novelist and a BAFTA Rocliffe-winning screenwriter. He is the author of the best-selling Ravenmaster Trilogy of novels, and the forthcoming historical epic, The Drowned Land (2023).
Born and raised in Eastern Canada, John earned a BA in English Literature from the University of New Brunswick. Then he moved to the UK to study the poetry of Keats, and in 2009 received a Ph.D. from the University of St. Andrews.
After graduating, Theobald invested his time in writing a Ravenmaster Trilogy, which became a success. At the same time, he is working with local schools where he speaks with students about creative writing and pursuing a career in the arts.
John's short fiction has appeared in Bookanista, Untitled Books, The Menteur, and The Four Quarters Magazine.
His non-fiction work retains If On a Winter's Night a Fox, a passionate defense of urban foxes, exploring the fox’s role in folklore and culture from Roman Times to modern London (2014).
Since 2015, John has been a screenwriter-in-residence at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, London.
John’s work has been selected for the Austin Film Festival (TV pilot competition), ScreenCraft Screenwriting Fellowship (TV screenplay), BFI Flare (short film), and winner of the BAFTA Rocliffe screenplay competition 2018 (feature script).
His feature screenplay Goblin Market (co-written with Jacqueline Pepall), exploring the life of poet Christina Rossetti, was a recipient of the BFI Early Development Fund and shortlisted for the 2021 Sundance Development Track scheme.
In 2017, John created and launched the educational program These Dark Wings: Beyond the Book, in collaboration with the Tower of London, Historic Royal Palaces, and Arts Council England, providing free writing workshops for young people and learning events for schools from deprived areas.
John Owen Theobald currently lives in London.
