Cathy Kelly

Cathy Kelly is an Irish former journalist and writer of women's fiction since 1997. She has gained international recognition with her popular fiction novels, which are published globally in many languages. In 2001, her novel Someone Like You won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award. Kelly is one of the most successful female authors to come out of Ireland.

Born in Belfast but raised in Dublin, she studied at a convent school and became a journalist afterwards. In 1997, she published her first international bestseller, Woman To Woman. She did not become a full-time writer until she had written another two books, She’s The One and Never Too Late, and finally decided to leave the world of journalism in 2001. Someone Like You, What She Wants, Just Between Us and Best of Friends followed in successive years. Always and Forever was her first hardback number one and then topped the overall UK bestseller list during October 2005, displacing Dan Brown and J. K. Rowling who had been on top most weeks. Her books Lessons in Heartbreak and Homecoming were shortlisted for the Eason Irish Popular Fiction Book of the Year at the Irish Book Awards.

Kelly's trademark is warm story-telling; she writes books which deal with themes ranging from relationships and marriage to depression and loss, but always with an uplifting message and strong female characters at the heart. She lives in Enniskerry, County Wicklow with her family and three dogs.