Anna Rossi

I was born in Worcester, have lived in Sydney, Australia, and now reside in Warwickshire,UK, with my husband and bossy cat.

Writing has always been important to me - almost as important as reading. I knew, from a very early age, that I wanted to weave stories for others to read and devoured every book I could get my hands on from the often sneered at but magical tales of Enid Blyton to Dickens, the Brontes, Jane Austen, Philippa Gregory, Maeve Binchy, Stephen King and many, many more.

Eventually, I became a freelance journalist and was forced to stick to the truth. But now, mostly retired, I can let my imagination soar. Hence my novel,'Black Damask', which perhaps gives vent to my mixture of tastes and blends an authentic historical background with a strong flavour of the supernatural. One reviewer, though very complimentary, writes that it is ‘not for the faint-hearted’. I imagine this is true.

'The Traitor’s Wife', the story of Bess Raleigh, wife to Sir Walter, is a more traditional historical novel and the faint-hearted need not fear it. A strong, fascinating lady, Bess stood by, and fought for, her man and her family in a very dangerous age. By bringing her to life through the present tense, I hope to also bring her closer to the reader.

My husband, a former lecturer and journalist, writes thrillers. We sit side by side in our study, tapping away at keyboads, our minds in very different places – mine in Tudor and Stuart England, his in modern day Sydney, Miami or London.

But with Warwick Castle just down the road, history is never far away.