Kate Long, author of the number one bestselling novel The Bad Mother's Handbook lives in Whitchurch in Shropshire, UK. She was raised in Blackrod, Bolton and was educated at Bolton School. At 18 she left home to study English at Bristol University, where she gained a First, and then trained as a teacher in Exmouth for a year. Her first job was in Guildford, where she met her husband Simon. For over a decade Kate taught at Abbey Gate College, a secondary school just outside Chester. When her first novel, The Bad Mother's Handbook was accepted, in 2003, she left teaching and became a full-time writer. The Bad Mother's Handbook was published by Picador in 2004 and became a number one bestseller, serialised on BBC Radio Four's Book at Bedtime and nominated for a British Book Award. The film rights were bought by Ruby Films and ITV showed the TV version in February 2007 which starred Catherine Tate. Her next two novels are Swallowing Grandma and Queen Mum, both published by Picador. Her fourth novel "The Daughter Game" was released on Saturday, March 15, 2008.