Fiona Joseph

Fiona Joseph is the author of two books inspired by the heritage of the Cadbury chocolate entrepreneurs from her home town of Birmingham, United Kingdom. Her acclaimed biography, BEATRICE: THE CADBURY HEIRESS WHO GAVE AWAY HER FORTUNE (2012) delighted readers by bringing to life the unknown true story of the anti-capitalist Cadbury daughter. The book was long-listed in the Rubery Book Award and chosen by ALLi and the Quaker Book Centre as their Book of the Month.

Her second 'Cadbury' book was a fact-inspired novel about women working at the Cadbury factory during World War One. COMFORTS FOR THE TROOPS was praised for its vivid portrayal of the trials and tribulations of factory life at the Bournville Works and its compelling storyline. ("I didn't want to put it down!")

Fiona's other books include two graded ELT readers for the PageTurners series published by Cengage/National Geographic. OSCAR'S JOURNEY (Finalist in the Language Learner Literature Awards) and A NEW SONG FOR NINA (Winner in the Language Learner Literature Awards) feature pacy storytelling, rounded characters, told in language suitable for non-native speakers of English.

She also authored a factual guide to the Shugborough Estate in Staffordshire, UK, for the National Trust.

Fiona is a graduate of Birmingham City University's Diploma in Writing, run in conjunction with the National Academy of Writing, where she was awarded the BCU/NAW Prize for Fiction.

Fiona is a prolific public speaker at libraries, literary festivals, conferences and membership societies, where she attracts large audiences. She loves meeting readers and discussing the themes and research in her books. She has been described as a "delightful and articulate wordsmith" and she is consistently rated an excellent speaker.

Fiona lives in a suburb of Birmingham, UK, about six miles from Cadbury in Bournville. She has two grown-up daughters. Contrary to expectation she is not a chocoholic but doesn't mind the occasional bar of Cadbury Dairy Milk. For more about Fiona's life and how she became a writer, as well as newsletter updates, please visit http://fionajoseph.com