Paddy Crewe was born in Stockton-on-Tees. He studied at Goldsmiths, University of London. His first novel, My Name Is Yip, was published by Penguin in April 2022. My Name Is Yip has been longlisted for the 2023 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, the Authors Club Best First Novel Award and the 2023 Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize.