authors

Award-winning author Amy Tan is perhaps best-known for The Joy Luck Club, a novel based on her own experiences of growing up as part of the immigrant Chinese community in the United States. Tan read English Linguistics and English at  San Jose State University, before studying for her Masters at The University of California at … Continue readings →

EDITOR’S CHOICE San Francisco-based author Armistead Maupin was born in Washington, DC, but grew up in North Carolina. After graduating from the University of North Carolina, he served as a naval officer in Vietnam. After moving to California, in the early 1970s, Maupin began working as a journalist. In 1976, he launched the daily fictional … Continue readings →

Leading American historical-romance writer Mary Jo Putney is known affectionately as ‘MJP’ to her fans. She was the recipient of the prestigious RWA Nora Roberts’ Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013. Mary Jo has written and contributed to more than 38 critically acclaimed books, including many series titles. Her most recent series, ‘The Lost Lords’ deals … Continue readings →

Award-winning Australian writer Anne Gracie‘s first book, Gallant Waif, was published in 1999 by Harlequin/Mills and Boon. Since then, she has written more than 15 novels, mostly Regencies. She was also commissioned to write the novelisation of series one of the successful TV show The Tudors. Anne’s latest series of books feature the ‘Chance Sisters’. … Continue readings →

New York Times best-selling writer Elizabeth Hoyt is one of The Literary Shed’s favourite historical romance writers. Since publishing her first novel The Raven Prince, Hoyt has published 14 novels to critical acclaim, many in the following series, ‘The Princes Trilogy’, ‘Legend of the Four Soldiers’ and the ‘Maiden Lane’ series. Hoyt also writes as … Continue readings →

EDITOR’S CHOICE Award-winning, best-selling writer Nora Roberts is one of the most popular authors in the world, selling billions of copies of books in a multitude of languages. Roberts, who began her career writing romances for Silhouette, published her first book in 1981. She has since turned romance, romantic-suspense and paranormal romance writing into an … Continue readings →

Director of health promotion and commmunication at Harvard’s Department of Nutrition, Dr Cheung has been a student of Thich Nhat Hanh since 1967. She worked with him on the book Mindful Eating, Mindful Life, Savour Every Moment and Every Bite.   See also: Thich Nhat Hanh

Nominated by Dr Martin Luther King, Jr, for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967, Thich Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, who has dedicated his life to promoting peace and reconciliation. He is the author of many books, focussing on various aspects of Mindfulness and the art of Mindful living, including Mindful Eating, Mindful … Continue readings →

Through focusing on dark tales of paranormal and suspense romances, Cynthia Eden is an extremely popular American writer. A two-time finalist for the RITA® award, Eden has written more than 30 books/novellas for Harlequin, Hachette and other publishers. Her ‘Deadly‘ series of paranormal romantic suspense novels are particuarly successful.   DEADLY SERIES: Deadly Fear; Deadly … Continue readings →

An award-winning writer, Madeline Hunter holds a PhD in art history and lectures at university level in the United States. She is the author of more than 22 historical romances, including ‘The Fairbourne Quartet‘ series. Hunter lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two sons.   See also: Mary Balogh; Anne Gracie; Georgette Heyer   … Continue readings →

An eminent Russian novelist, short-story writer and playwright, Turgenev wrote many influential works, including the novella First Love, based on his own experiences as a young man.  Fathers and Sons (1862) is considered one of the greatest 19th-century Russian novels.   See also: Chekhov; Leo Tolstoy; Flaubert                 … Continue readings →

New York Times and USA Today best-selling writer of 20 novels and several short stories, Allison Brennan is a former consultant in the California State Legislature. She lives in northern California with her husband and five children. Brennan has written nine books featuring Lucy Kincaid and her boyfriend Sean Rogan.   LUCY KINCAID/SEAN ROGAN SERIES: … Continue readings →

Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Harper Lee was a close friend of Truman Capote. To Kill a Mockingbird was her only published novel. It was adapted into a film in 1962, starring Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch.   See also: Truman Capote; James Baldwin; Ernest Hemingway; John Steinbeck                

An award-winning American author, Kay Hooper cut her teeth writing Regency novels. She is perhaps better-known today for the excellent Bishop/Special Crimes Unit series of paranormal-suspense books. Hooper has written more than 60 books, including Finding Laura, Raven on the Wing and Blood Ties.    BLOOD TRILOGY: Blood Dreams; Blood Sins; Blood Ties   See … Continue readings →

A former children’s book editor, Irish-born Jane Casey has written several crime-fiction titles featuring DC Maeve Kerrigan. The books have been critically acclaimed.   DC MAEVE KERRIGAN SERIES: The Burning; The Reckoning; The Last Girl; The Stranger You Know                                 … Continue readings →