Kathleen Jowitt was born in Winchester and grew up deep in the Welsh Marches and, subsequently, on the Isle of Wight. After completing her undergraduate degree in English Literature at the University of Exeter she moved to Guildford and found herself working for a major trade union. She now lives in Cambridge, works in London, and writes on the train. Her first novel, Speak Its Name, was the first self-published book ever shortlisted for the prestigious Betty Trask Prize, which is awarded to the best debut by an author under the age of 35.