Jane Corry

Jane Corry read English as university but has always been fascinated by history. She grew up with tales of her family's past, including her grandparents' lives as rubber planters in Borneo and the impact of the First and Second World Wars. To her, history has a habit of repeating itself. 'We humans wittingly, or unwittingly, often make the mistakes of our forebears. I sometimes wonder if it is printed in our souls.'

Jane's background is in journalism and she has written for countless newspapers and magazines.Until recently, she taught creative writing at Oxford University and was also writer in residence of a high security male prison for three years. She now lives in a Regency house in Devon with her second husband and writes in a room overlooking the sea.

Her first historical novel'The Pearls' was inspired by a necklace which was left to her by her great-aunt on condition that she wore it every day. It reached number eight (translations) In Italy last year and has just been published in Germany by Random House. Her second historical novel is called The Ruby Ring and will be published in Italian by Newton Compton in October.

For more information, visit www.janecorry.co.uk