Katie Saunders

Katharine Mary Saunders (1960–2023) was an English writer, actress, and journalist who began her career as a professional actor before transitioning to writing with her debut novel The Prodigal Father in 1986, which won the Betty Trask Award. She authored over 20 books including historical romances, detective novels, and acclaimed children's literature such as Five Children on the Western Front, winner of the Costa Children's Book Award, and was twice shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal. Born in London as the eldest of six children in an Anglo-Catholic family, she lived with multiple sclerosis for three decades until her death at age 62.