Jane Harris

Jane Harris was born in Belfast and spent her early childhood there before her parents moved to Glasgow in 1965. She studied English Literature and Drama at the University of Glasgow, then trained at East 15 Acting School in London. While living abroad, she began writing short stories which were later included in anthologies of new Scottish literature. She went on to undertake an MA in Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia, and then completed a PhD at the same university. During the same period, Jane wrote a number of short film scripts. Several of these scripts won awards, including two BAFTA nominations, for Bait (1999) and Going Down (2000). In 1999 and 2000, Harris was shortlisted for the BBC's Dennis Potter Award. She taught Creative Writing for many years, principally at the University of East Anglia. Her first novel, The Observations, was shortlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction 2007 as well as for the Prix du Premier Roman Etranger in France (2009). It won the Book of the Month Club's First Fiction Prize (2007) in the USA. Her second novel, Gillespie and I, was published to critical acclaim in May 2011. Her books have been published in over 20 territories worldwide.

Harris currently lives in East London and is married to the film and TV director Tom Shankland. For more information, visit the author's website: www.janeharris.com.