Kate Harrison

I was born in Wigan in north-west England, and moved home more then a dozen times as a child. As a little girl, I loved to read - and, pretty soon, realised that I loved to write too. My first 'novel' was a mystery set in Paris, written when I was 12...

Despite that early experiment with fiction, my careers teacher told me I'd ever make a living inventing stories, so I trained as a journalist and worked for the BBC in news and later on programmes like Panorama and Newsround.

Now I write for adults and for teenagers. My novels for adults include The Boot Camp and The Secret Shopper's Revenge. I write about the kind of problems that my friends discuss endlessly: work, relationships, weight, kids, parents and how to be happy. Life seems full of comedy and tragedy to me, so that's what my books are about.

My young adult novels are creepier and more chilling, with a murder mystery at their core. They're the kind of books I'd have loved to read when I was a teenager - and in fact, I love reading YA novels now, too.

The Soul Beach trilogy is set on a mysterious website where the glamorous inhabitants are all young, beautiful - and dead. But when Alice is invited onto the site on the day of her murdered sister's funeral, this new world begins to take over from her 'real' life. You can go there yourself - if you dare... www.soulbeach.org

My latest project has been life-changing for me, and might be for you too! I've written a book about the diet that is transforming my health and body. After decades of failing to lose weight permanently, The 5:2 Diet Book explores the easiest, most flexible weight loss program I've ever found - with tips from thirty other dieters who've been on the journey with me...

Meanwhile, I am busy working on my next two novels. I love to write - find out more and get in touch at kate-harrison.com