Iqbal has been writing stories ever since he could hold a pencil – usually adventures inspired by The Famous Five and The Three Investigators. He also loves numbers, so he studied mathematics at university before becoming a journalist. He wrote for many magazines and newspapers, including The Young Telegraph, a lively weekly newspaper for switched-on 8 to 12-year-olds – a bit like The Week Junior! Iqbal is the author of The Night I Borrowed Time, published by Puffin and chosen as Waterstones Children’s Book of the Month in January 2026. He is now busy writing the sequel. He lives in north London, on the edge of a forest, where he dreams up story ideas while walking his friendly labradoodle, Milo.