Born in Lancashire, Freda Lightfoot lived for a number of years in the Lake District where she ran a bookshop. She then tried her hand at the 'good life', kept sheep and hens, various orphaned cats and dogs, built drystone walls, planted a small wood and even learned how to make jam. She has now given up her thermals and built a house in an olive grove in Spain, where she produces her own olive oil. She has published over fifty short stories, numerous articles, and 38 novels including many bestselling family sagas. She has also written a biographical historical trilogy about Marguerite de Valois: Hostage Queen; The Reluctant Queen; The Queen and the Courtesan.