In writing this biography, many of Catherine Cookson's friends have been willing to talk to the author. Even more importantly, Kathleen Jones has had access to early drafts of Catherine's own autobiography, hitherto unseen, and hours of privately taped conversation. Born in 1906, the illegitimate daughter of a domestic servant, Catherine Cookson was brought up on Tyneside in one of the poorest communities of the western world. Her childhood was marred by violence, abuse, alcoholism, shame and guilt. But, with enormous courage and determination, she made her way out of the slums to become one of the best-selling novelists in the world.

The first novel from the international bestselling master of romance Catherine Cookson introduces her most charismatic heroine in this timeless tribute to romantic love during England’s Edwardian era. The moment he lays eyes on Kate, Dr. Rodney Prince is enchanted. Despite her poverty, it’s clear that she exudes warmth and intelligence. His own wife, living in the oblivion of velvet cushions and lavish dinner parties, seems crude by comparison. Though they meet only briefly, Kate leaves an indelible mark upon his mind. Rodney knows that Kate’s spirit has suffered at the hands of men. Her father, an embittered dock worker, directed his violent rages toward Kate and her mother. At eighteen, Kate fell victim to a smooth-talking seducer and became the unwed mother of a child. Such circumstances only deepen Rodney’s desire to rescue Kate and overturn the codes of a society that serve to keep them apart. As he unintentionally wins over the heart of Kate’s fatherless daughter, he and Kate begin to acknowledge that the gap between rich and poor might not be so great after all.

Vanessa Ratcliffe is just sixteen, daughter of one of the town's richest men. And in spite of her social standing and convent education, Vanessa's provocative manner often draws envious eyes in her direction. Angus Cotton is a rough diamond, living in filthy Ryder's Row, but as engineer at Affleck and Tate he's worth his weight in gold. Angus has ambitious plans for his future, plans that had never included Vanessa - until now... The Round Tower is a beautifully imagined story of power, love, honour and greed and an award-winning novel from one of Britain's most popular novelists.

Catherine Cookson is one of the most popular and most read English authors of all time, with more than 100 million books sold. She didn't begin writing until she was in her forties, doing so as a form of therapy after a miscarriage and subsequent mental breakdown. Her writing was informed by personal experience, but Cookson was also at heart both a feminist and a socialist. Although many critics, particularly male ones, put down her work as nothing more than romance fiction, in reality she addressed profound social issues that impacted the poor working class in Britain during the beginning of the 20th century. These conditions had a particular impact on women. Cookson was able to write authoritatively because she herself experienced extreme poverty and hardship as a child, yet through hard work and determination was able to take an alternative path in life. Her personal story is retold in countless variations through her novels. Although she did write several autobiographies and books specifically about her own life, each Cookson novel replicates the tale of a heroine who is disadvantaged in some way by the circumstances of her birth and goes on to succeed through hard work and personal conviction. Although Cookson wrote her first story at the age of 11, she did not embrace writing as a career until she was in her 40s, and it wasn't until some ten years later that she finally began to enjoy the financial benefits.

From Simon & Schuster, The Year of the Virgins is another master work of historical fiction from Catherine Cookson. Struggling to maintain a facade of family harmony for the sake of their religious beliefs and three grown children, Winifred and Daniel Coulson begin a legacy in which their youngest son, Donald, must choose between the values of the past and present.

Catherine Cookson is known and loved for her vibrant earthy novels set in and around the North-East of England, past and present. Her autobiography makes plain how it is she knows her background and her characters so well. The Our Kate of the title is not Catherine Cookson, but her mother, around whom the autobiography revolves. Despite her faults, Kate emerges as a warm and loveable human figure. Our Kate is an honest statement about living with hardship and poverty, seen through the eyes of a highly sensitive child and woman, whose zest for life and unquenchable sense of humour won through to make Catherine Cookson the warm, engaging and human writer she is today.

Catherine Cookson was at her towering best in this immensely powerful novel which spanned more than three decades, from the 1880s through World War I and beyond, as it told the story of a young man’s fateful decision and the enduring influence it had on future generations. Marrying a professional dancer, prosperous farmer Ward Gibson is stunned by the murderous jealousy of Daisy Mason, a young neighbor who believes Ward was promised to her.