Alan Robert Clark was born and educated in Scotland. He briefly attended King's College London, before opting instead for a career as a copywriter and creative director with a number of leading advertising agencies. He has also worked as a freelance journalist, and has ghost-written and co-authored a number of biographies. He writes historical fiction, including books about the untold and often tragic lives of the Victorian Royals. His debut historical novel, The Prince of Mirrors is a Walter Scott Prize Academy Recommended title.

'Clark takes an iconic and forbidding figure and transforms her into a passionate, loving and damaged woman' -Simon Russell Beale'This is a heart-breaking tale and no mistake. A beautiful and lyrical tale told with deft brilliance' -John Sessions'Atmospheric and vividly imagined. 'Valhalla' brings to life a woman who had otherwise seemed frozen in history; its theme of royal duty still all too relevant' -Margaret Drabble'Valhalla is a beautifully crafted novel that succeeds in bringing Queen Mary vividly to life' -Elizabeth Mac Donald, author of A Matter of Interpretation