1964-
Kate Long was brought up in Lancashire in a small village half-way between Wigan and Bolton. At 18 she left home to study English at Bristol University, where she gained a First, and then trained as a teacher in Exmouth for a year. Her first job was in Guildford, which she met her husband.
Her next move was to Whitchurch in
Shropshire, where she has been ever since. For over a decade she
taught in a secondary school just outside Chester, but when her
first novel was accepted, in 2003, she gave up teaching and
became a full-time writer. Kate has noted:-
"It's fair to say this novel,The Bad Mother's Handbook, might not have been written were it not for a West Midlands Arts Council grant which enabled me to pay for childcare over the summer holidays.
The Bad Mother's Handbook was published by Picador in 2004 and became a number one bestseller, serialised on Radio Four's Book at Bedtime and nominated for a British Book Award. The film rights were bought by Ruby Films and ITV is scheduled to show the TV version of the book in February 2007. It is also available as an audio cassette or CD.
Her two other novels so far are Swallowing Grandma and Queen Mum both published by Picador. A fourth, The Daughter Game, will be released in 2007.
As well as novels, Kate has had short stories published in Woman's Own, Woman and Home, The Sunday Express magazine and the Sunday Night Book Club anthology.
Kate says:-
I'm inspired by family stories, and by power shifts in relationships, as well as how we form our personal identities. Other themes which fascinate me are class, disability, and the power of the maternal bond in all its forms, healthy or otherwise.
The Bad Mother's Handbook (2004)
Swallowing Grandma (2005) Queen Mum (2006)
Further information on Kate Long's books and events schedule can be found at www.katelong.co.uk
Page created 31 July 2006
For your literary enquiries and comments please see the Who to contact page.
Please read the general terms and conditions and about accessibility on this site, including the use of the UK government accesskeys system. Further details on ICRA labelling, visitor counts and EnrichUK may be obtained by following these external links:-
|
|