| Kate Harrison |
  I was born in Wigan but – thanks to my dad’s job programming early computers the size of 4-bedroomed houses – I moved lots when I was a child. I went to a dozen different schools, in locations including St Helens in Merseyside; Longniddry in Scotland; Bramhall, Holmes Chapel and Congleton in Cheshire; Bracknell and Newbury in Berkshire, Camberley and Byfleet in Surrey; and even Nieuwkoop and Rijswijk in Holland. Plenty of material there for the classroom scenes in Old School Ties! Somehow I managed to get some O and A levels (though I failed Art) and decided to skip university. I never dreamed I could write a novel, so journalism seemed the best bet. I trained at Highbury College in Portsmouth, where I won the ESSO Young Journalist of the Year competition. My glamorous prize was a cheque which helped buy my first car, (a silver T-reg Ford Fiesta) plus a trip to an off-short gas platform in the North Sea. I went to work for a news agency in Reading, reporting mainly for the national tabloids, and then joined the BBC in Bristol as a researcher for the nightly TV news programme, Points West. I eventually became a BBC Education Correspondent for TV and radio based in Birmingham before I got bored with appearing on camera – it’s a lot of hassle trying to tame your hair and do your make up well enough to look respectable. I decided to become a producer/director so I could fret about how other people’s hair looked… I moved to London and have worked for the children’s news programme, Newsround; then for Panorama, and a number of documentaries and factual programmes. I currently work as part of a team coming up with new ideas for TV. In my ‘spare’ time, I write books, go out too much, surf the Internet too much and collect vegetarian cookery books that I never get round to cooking from. I’ve also written for the Times Educational Supplement, for women’s magazines and for websites including mango.co.uk, handbag.com and chicklit.com If you want to know what I'm up to, you read my blog here, or investigate my website www.kate-harrison.com The Starter Marriage  A bittersweet comedy about marriage, mistakes and moving on... Starter marriage: noun. A first marriage that lasts only a short time, does not produce children and ends in a clean divorce (see also: starter home) Tess Leonard thought marriage was for life, not just for Christmas. Unfortunately her husband Barney felt differently: cramped, claustrophobic and trapped in a relationship he’d outgrown, to be precise. Which is why, at 35 years old and just days after Christmas, ‘Tip Top Tess’ is in the biggest mess of her life: her perfect marriage over, her perfect home in chaos and her perfect career teetering on the brink of destruction. But there's a ray of hope on the horizon: the Divorce Survival Class. It may be uncomfortable, overcrowded and nearly sinking under the Titanic-like weight of their combined excess baggage, but it's a boot-camp for the broken-hearted and exactly what Tess needs. Over eight weeks, Tess and her battle-weary classmates will lay bare the darkest secrets of their failed marriages - from the thrills of a threesome to the monotony of monogamy. And course leader William, himself a refugee in the war of love-turned-alchemist for the spurned and dejected, will turn their lives around in truly spectacular style… Reviews “A funny, engaging and bittersweet read about life after the supposedly happy ending. Brilliant.” Mike Gayle, author of Turning Thirty “The Starter Marriage captures the ups and downs of thirty-something life and love so beautifully and in such a real way, you'll find yourself wishing you could dash out and meet her characters in the pub when you've finished reading it.” Chris Manby, author of Ready or Not “I enjoyed it more than any book I've read in a long time - every time I put it down, I couldn't wait to pick it up again. I loved it.” Louise Voss, author of Lifesaver  Old School Ties Reviews Recently we have been reviewing and changing our review process. It is now our policy to offer a review package of: * Independent review of book * Book cover * Author interview or biography * Photo of author * Links through to author's site and/or publisher's site. We now charge £75 for this service. If you'd like to know more please visit here Cecilia Aherne / Harlan Coben / Sophie Kinsella |
| Posted: 27/04/2005 16:40:50 Last Updated: 09/10/2007 12:24:28 |
Chick Lit > Chick Lit Authors :: Kate Harrison