Alison Penton Harper

Discovered by the Richard & Judy Show in 2004, Alison Penton Harper grew up in London and worked in advertising for twenty years before writing her first novel, HOUSEWIFE DOWN. It went on to become a bestseller and was followed by four more novels in the popular comedy series chronicling the fall and rise of its widowed heroine.

In 2006 Alison Penton Harper was selected from an impressive longlist to join The Writers' Circle - a group of 8 top writers chosen to be groomed by the UK film industry as the new generation of British screenwriters. An award-winning blogger, she is also the author of literary fiction under the pseudonym Alison McQueen, including the acclaimed THE SECRET CHILDREN, published in 2012 by Orion, which has been translated into several languages.

Alison lives in a quiet English village with her husband and two daughters. The Secret Children was selected by The Independent for their alternative 2012 Booker list. Her novel UNDER THE JEWELLED SKY won the 2014 EMBA Prize.