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About Me
I grew up in Gloucester and studied Experimental Psychology at St Edmund Hall, Oxford. Writing under my own name and the pseudonyms Olivia Darling, Stella Knightley and Stephanie Ash, I am the author of more than forty novels including Sunday Times Bestsellers ‘Running Away From Richard’, ‘Seven Sunny Days’ and ‘The Matchbreaker’. My work has been published in translation in many countries including Taiwan (where my Olivia Darling debut ‘Vintage’ was a top five bestseller) Romania, Russia, Japan, Thailand and Turkey, among others.
My first novel as CJ Wray, ‘The Excitements’, follows the comic adventures of Penny and Josephine Williamson, two WW2 veterans with a variety of secrets – official and otherwise. It’s been described as ‘glorious fun’ (Prima magazine) and ‘filled with surprise, poignancy and excitement… a surefire winner’ (Publishers Weekly).
I have also worked as a screenwriter and have recently applied the knowledge I gained in that field to teaching creative writing. I’ve written features (and obituaries) for several national papers and magazines. Together with Jessica Adams, I was one of the original editors of the Girls’ Night In series of anthologies in aid of WarChild.
When I’m not writing, I enjoy drawing and creating book covers. I am also learning to speak German.
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Features
DIY fragrance: Can you make a cooling spritzer better than one you can buy? - As beauty products go, fragrance is often one of the most expensive, packaged and advertised as the ultimate luxury, with ads that inevitably involve a yacht, the Orient Express, a… Read more DIY fragrance: Can you make a cooling spritzer better than one you can buy? →
Put on your happy face: Is this the cure for our worry lines? - Gwyneth Paltrow recently complained that the ageing process makes her feel like she’s losing her identity. It’s hard to feel sorry for Gwynnie, when it seems that she’s been making a mint out… Read more Put on your happy face: Is this the cure for our worry lines? →FEATURES →
News
New Book: Three Sunny Days - It’s that time of year again. My new book, Three Days In Florence, is out now in e-book and paperback (for all you book-sniffers). Wherever you’re spending this summer, I… Read more New Book: Three Sunny Days →
Creative writing with the Arvon Foundation. - If you’re interested in becoming a writer, join me and Mike Gayle at the Arvon Foundation’s Devon campus for a crash course in creating commercial fiction. We’ll be there from August… Read more Creative writing with the Arvon Foundation. →