About Olivia Ryan

Olivia Ryan is a true Essex Girl: she was born in Romford and has lived in the county ever since.

She married young, having met her husband while she was still at school and not being one to waste time once she’s made up her mind about something!

Her own hen party wasn’t a big affair – there wasn’t a lot of money around, so she had a night out rather than a weekend away – but she believes she had a great time… her memory of the whole evening is slightly blurred but she sobered up in time for the wedding – which was at a local church, followed by a reception in a pub.

She has three young daughters; continuing on the basis of getting on with things once she’s made a decision, Olivia had her kids while she was still in her twenties, and all three were born within four years of each other.

Olivia maintains that anyone wanting time to write a book should have several children in close succession. The kids keep each other amused, and nobody wants to call on you because the house is always such a mess, so you don’t get too many interruptions.

Before becoming a full-time mum and now a novelist, she worked as a secretary but spent her lunch breaks writing rubbish poetry.

Unsurprisingly, Olivia doesn’t get a lot of free time, but when she can make an occasional escape from her family she likes to relax with friends in pubs and restaurants.

She lists her ‘likes’ as: The sea, red wine, plain chocolate, Shakespeare, Jodi Picoult, Coldplay, sunshine, swimming, toast. And her dislikes are: Fish, sports, horses, coffee, jazz, having her hair cut, and being cold.