Hello there! I'm the author of thirteen novels, two of them are Richard and Judy book club selections, several have been Top Ten Bestsellers, one won the Good Housekeeping Book of the year prize, but the accolade I'm most proud of is the lady on Twitter who wrote last month that she thought my books were real 'knicker grippers'. I suppose that's all you can hope for isn't it?

I was an editor in publishing working with lots of lovely authors for years but always wanted to write. My first novel, Going Home, came out in 2005 and my latest, The Beloved Girls, was published in paperback in April 2022. I wish I'd written more novels only it takes me longer than I think to write them, and I had babies at various points who don't get the whole 'I need to write for five hours now'. And the thing no one tells you is writing them gets harder, not easier, and sometimes I wish I did another job except I can't imagine not writing. I have written since I was a child, first on books I stapled together with paper then notebooks then a laptop that crashed and lost all of the novel I was writing in secret back in 2002. (So now I back my work up properly). Inbetween that I studied Classics at university which means I know all about Greek Gods and can win pub quizzes, worked in publishing as a very bad secretary and once had to make a cup of tea for Harry Enfield and shook hands with Lauren Bacall. I edited the late great Penny Vincenzi which was the highlight of my career, and I had some children. In 2019 I moved out of London, to Bath, city of the greatest lady novelist of all, Jane Austen. I love living here so much and I especially love seeing everyone back in the city post pandemic. (Also I love the fact you just randomly walk past people dressed in bonnets all the time and I'm never sure if they're extras from something or just really into the Jane Austen / Bridgerton thing)

My first novels were more about relationships and people in London and had more chicklit themes and the later ones are darker and more about families and secrets and houses and the past. Those themes have always been in my books, but as i've grown older I've enjoyed exploring them more. I have so many stories in my head all the time and I adore knowing that my job means that I can carry on telling them.

I am finishing my latest novel now. If you ask me how I'd describe my books I'd say I want them to be gripping, involving, heartwarming stories about families and mysteries in the past with a Gothic tinge. My favourite novelists are Penny, Rosamunde Pilcher, Daphne du Maurier and Elizabeth Jane Howard. Please, if you read one, do get in touch. I'm on Twitter at @harrietevans Facebook at @harrietevansauthor and Instagram as @harrietevansauthor too. Take care, and happy reading, Harrie x