Jess Richards was born in Wales in 1972, and grew up too fast in south west Scotland where she watched the ferry boats going to and from Northern Ireland. She left home at 17, went over the border to England, and lived for a year in Carlisle, before moving to Devon. She gained a first class degree from Dartington College of Arts when she was 21, then after brief stints busking and carrying on in both Leeds and London, she moved to Brighton aged 23 where she has grown up a bit slower, and has lived and worked ever since.
She studied Creative Writing as an adult learner at Sussex University. She had a number of short stories published as a result of competitions she entered while on the course. Her debut novel started as a short story which wouldn't stop growing.
Jess' debut novel, Snake Ropes, was published in hardback by Sceptre in May 2012. The paperback will be released in December 2012.
Snake Ropes was longlisted for the Green Carnation Prize and shortlisted for the Costa first novel award 2012.
Her second novel, Cooking with Bones, will be published by Sceptre in April 2013.
http://www.jessrichards.com/
