Fran Warde's career has been fuelled by a passion for food. She is a professional chef who has cooked all over the world.

Back in Britain she ran a successful catering business, then set up her own cookery school before branching out into food styling and writing.

She was Food Editor at Red magazine and her work also appears in Waitrose Food Illustrated and BBC Good Food.

She has written several best-selling books for Marks & Spencer. Fran lives in West London with her husband and two children.

Joanne Harris was born of a French mother and English father, and spent most of her childhood holidays on the island of Noirmoutier, in southern Brittany and Nerac, in Gascony, where she was immersed in French village life, folklore and tradition.

She is the author of two previous novels, Sleep, Pale Sister, and The Evil Seed. Her fourth, Blackberry Wine was published in March 2000 to great critical acclaim. Joanne lives in Yorkshire with her husband and young daughter.