Kate Long

Kate Long, author of the number one bestselling novel "The Bad Mother's Handbook" lives in Whitchurch in Shropshire, UK.

She was raised 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, where she met her husband Simon.

For over a decade Kate taught at Abbey Gate College, a secondary school just outside Chester. When her first novel, "The Bad Mother's Handbook" was accepted, in 2003, she left teaching and became a full-time writer.

"The Bad Mother's Handbook" was published by Picador in 2004 and became a number one bestseller, serialised on BBC Radio Four's "Book at Bedtime" and nominated for a British Book Award. The film rights were bought by Ruby Films and ITV showed the TV version in February 2007 which starred Catherine Tate.

Her next two novels are "Swallowing Grandma" and "Queen Mum", both published by Picador. Her fourth novel "The Daughter Game" was released on Saturday, March 15 2008. "The Daughter Game" is about a teacher Anne who thinks she can save a girl whose personal life is very troubled - but the 16 year old pupil quickly manipulates the teacher and begins to invade her life.

In a interview about her latest novel Long says "I know teenagers can be quite manipulative - they have powers open to them adults and young children don't have" She goes on to say "through teaching you do get tuned into the way teenagers think. They live their lives in a state of high drama, everything is dramatic!" Kate also said she is still enjoying writing, but does miss teaching.

As well as novels, Kate Long has had short stories published in "Woman's Own", "Woman & Home", the "Sunday Express" magazine and the Sunday Night Book Club anthology.

She describes herself as being inspired by family stories, and by power shifts in relationships, as well as how people form personal identities. Other favourite themes are class, disability, and the power of the maternal bond in all its forms, healthy or otherwise.

In 1990 Kate and her husband, who works for Newcastle-Under-Lyne Borough Council, moved to Whitchurch where they live with their two sons Ben (born 1998) and Toby (born 2001) who both attend Malpas Alport Primary School.

External links

* [http://www.katelong.co.uk Kate Long Official Website]