Margaret Isaac read English, History and Religious Studies at Cardiff University before entering the teaching profession.
Her major subject, English, enabled her to familiarise herself with a wide range of literature that included the Icelandic Sagas, Celtic and Greek myths and legends, and later European works such as Hans Christian Anderson's Fairy Tales and The Lord of the Rings by Tolkien.

She has taught children from four years to eighteen years and also student teachers at Gwent College of Higher Education,Caerleon, now the University of Wales, Newport.

As an Independent Inspector of schools, Margaret visited over 50 schools in England and Wales between 1996 - 2000, following which she has taken up full-time writing and given book readings and writing workshops at over 100 schools in Wales.

From 1995, she served on the governing board of a local Welsh-medium primary school, being its Vice-Chair and Chair from 1999 - 2007.

In 2007, Margaret contributed to the READ A MILLION WORDS IN WALES project, a new initiative of the Basic Skills Agency.

In 2006, Margaret commenced researching the folklore surrounding the lakes of Wales. This will form the basis of a series of stories intended for publication from 2008 onwards.

Dr Alun Isaac is responsible for all aspects of publishing and marketing on behalf of Apecs Press Caerleon. His background in senior management in the South Wales mining industry together with his subsequent teaching and research activity at Cardiff University provided a launching pad that enabled him to combine his expertise with the literary expertise of Margaret Isaac in the establishment of Ashtree Publishing and Education Consultancy Services (APECS).

With his experience in mining and his position as a University Reader, he initiated and supervised the rehabilitation of the Roman Gold Mine near Lampeter from 1978 - 1999. This activity provided the stimulus for Margaret Isaac's first book, Tales of Gold, published by the National Trust in 1991.

Since 2001, Dr Isaac has accompanied Margaret on her visits to schools and contributed to the education consultancy aspect of the Press's work.

Currently, Dr Isaac is writing an account of the re-opening of part of the Dolaucothi Gold Mine in mid-Wales. He is also engaged on the lakes research project in order to produce a guide book that is complementary to the series of fictional stories to be written by Margaret.

Dr Isaac's University-based research background enables him to advise authors on structure and design matters and to act as Editor and proof reader of their books.

Angela Hoppe Kingston studied painting at the Bath Academy of Art. Her work has concentrated on the use of watercolours and is superbly suited to those publications that have themes and rural locations related to the Welsh stories written by Margaret Isaac such as NIA and the Magic of the Lake and RHIANON'S Way. Angela is a leading member of the Watercolour Society of Wales and the Welsh Group and has exhibited her work in Wales, London, Ireland and at the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

Together with her husband, Dr Gordon Kingston, a geologist and mineralogist, Angela usually accompanies Margaret on research visits to the locations of new stories in order to develop an authentic and interesting story board that leads subsequently to her illustrations. The photograph shows Angela sketching at Grey Hill, one of the Celtic sites described in RHIANNON'S WAY.

Barbara Crow was educated at the Slade School of Fine Art, Bristol and the University of Wales Aberystwyth. During her time as a lecturer at the Gwent College of Higher Education, she collaborated with Margaret Isaac on the illustration of the books, Tales of Gold and SIR GAWAIN and the GREEN KNIGHT.

Barbara and Margaret visited the area around Dinefwr and the Roman goldmine at Pumsaint in connection with the book 'Tales of Gold'. The photograph shows Barbara in the Brecon Beacons in scenery typical of the settings described in both books referred to above.

Barbara's previous experience as a book illustrator included work for Heinemann, Thames and Hudson and the Oxford University Press.

Margaret Dorothy Jones is an internationally-acclaimed artist whose work on Welsh folklore, in particular, has made a significant contribution to the genre. During the twenty years from 1980, she has illustrated for publication a number of the great traditional tales of the world.

Margaret's paintings of the Mabinogion and Folktales of Wales produced as posters, and her paintings of months of the year for the 1988 Calendar won critical acclaim. She has received several major awards for her work including five Tir Na N'Og prizes from the Welsh Books Council.

Margaret's interest in the character Twm Siôn Cati led to her involvement in the illustration of the book by Margaret Isaac, The Tale of TWM SIÔN CATI.

In her autobiography, IT CAME, TO PASS (2007), Margaret's wide-ranging portfolio as an artist and book illustrator is listed in an Appendix. A selection of her paintings are also included in the book. Book details.