Mary Sybilla Lovell is a British writer, daughter of William G. and Mary Catherine (née Wooley) Shelton. She married Clifford C. Lovell on 22 October 1960. They divorced in 1974. She married Geoffrey A. H. Watts on 11 July 1992. She has one child: Graeme R. Lovell. She was an accountant and company director until she began writing in 1980 following a serious riding accident which left her temporarily disabled. She has written biographies of

Beryl Markham Beryl Markham (née Clutterbuck; 26 October 1902 – 3 August 1986) was a Kenyan aviator born in England (one of the first bush flying, bush pilots), adventurer, racehorse trainer and author. She was the first person to fly solo, non-stop acros ...

Amelia Earhart Amelia Mary Earhart ( , born July 24, 1897; disappeared July 2, 1937; declared dead January 5, 1939) was an American aviation pioneer and writer. Earhart was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She set many oth ...

Jane Digby Jane Elizabeth Digby (3 April 1807 – 11 August 1881) was an English aristocrat, famed for her remarkable love life and lifestyle. She had four husbands and many lovers, including Lord Ellenborough, Governor-General of India, King Ludwig ...

Richard Francis Burton Sir Richard Francis Burton (; 19 March 1821 – 20 October 1890) was a British explorer, writer, orientalist scholar,and soldier. He was famed for his travels and explorations in Asia, Africa, and the Americas, as well as his extraordinary kn ...

Amy Elizabeth Thorpe Amy Elizabeth Thorpe, also known as Betty Pack, Betty Thorpe, Elizabeth Pack, and Amy Brousse; (November 22, 1910 – December 1, 1963) was an American spy, codenamed Cynthia, who worked for British Security Coordination (BSC) which was set up in ...

, the Mitford Girls,

Bess of Hardwick Elizabeth Cavendish, later Elizabeth Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury ( Hardwick; c. 1527 13 February 1608), known as Bess of Hardwick, of Hardwick Hall, Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire, was a notable figure of Elizabethan English society. By a series ...

and the Churchills. Her book on Markham, ''Straight on Till Morning'', researched and written in under a year, after weeks of interviews with the subject in

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...

, became an immediate international bestseller when it was published in 1987 and was twelve weeks on the ''New York Times'' Best Seller list. She also wrote ''The Mitford Girls'' (titled ''The Sisters'' in the USA), a biography of the celebrated

Mitford sisters The Mitford family is an aristocratic English family, whose principal line had its seats at Mitford, Northumberland. Several heads of the family served as High Sheriff of Northumberland. A junior line, with seats at Newton Park, Northumberlan ...

, first published in September 2001 (paperback August 2002), and her ''

'', was published in the UK in 2005. Four of her books have been optioned for films. Until 2011 she often led reader groups interested in Jane Digby around Syria to follow in the footsteps of this favourite subject of hers. She loves to travel to the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

. '' Amelia'', a major movie starring

Richard Gere Richard Tiffany Gere ( ; born August 31, 1949) is an American actor. He began in films in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in '' Looking for Mr. Goodbar'' (1977) and a starring role in ''Days of Heaven'' (1978). He came to prominence with ...

and

Hilary Swank Hilary Ann Swank (born July 30, 1974) is an American actress and film producer. She first became known in 1992 for her role on the television series '' Camp Wilder'' and made her film debut with a minor role in ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (1992 ...

, was based on her bestselling book '' The Sound of Wings – a biography of Amelia Earhart''. It was released in October 2009. Her last biography was ''The Churchills'', a biography of the

Churchill family Duke of Marlborough (pronounced ) is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created by Queen Anne in 1702 for John Churchill, 1st Earl of Marlborough (1650–1722), the noted military leader. In historical texts, unqualified use of the tit ...

from the 1st Duke Marlborough to the present generation, was published in April 2011 in the UK and May 2011 in the U.S.A. The paperback was due for release in April/May 2012. She lives in the

New Forest The New Forest is one of the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture land, heathland and forest in Southern England, covering southwest Hampshire and southeast Wiltshire. It was proclaimed a royal forest by William the Conqueror, featu ...

, Hampshire.

List of biographies by subject

– ''Straight on till Morning'' (1987) *Beryl Markham's African stories – ''The Splendid Outcast'' (1988) *

– ''The Sound of Wings'' (1989 & 2009) *

– ''Cast No Shadow; Women in WW II Espionage'' (1992) *

– ''A Scandalous Life'' (1995) *

Sir Richard ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as p ...

and

Isabel Burton Isabel Burton (née Arundell; 20 March 1831 – 22 March 1896), later known as Lady Burton, was an English writer, explorer and adventurer. She was the wife and partner of explorer, adventurer, and writer Sir Richard Francis Burton (1821–1890 ...

– ''A Rage to Live'' (1998) *

– ''The Mitford Girls – the extraordinary lives of the six Mitford sisters'' (2001) *

– ''Empire Builder and First Lady of Chatsworth'' (2005) *

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

– ''The Churchills: In Love and War'' (2011) *

Maxine Elliott Maxine Elliott (February 5, 1868 – March 5, 1940) was an American actress and businesswoman. Early life Born Jessie Dermott on February 5, 1868, to Thomas Dermott, a sea captain and Adelaide Hill Dermott, she had a younger sister, actress G ...

– ''The Riviera Set'' (2016)

External links

Mary S. Lovell's internet website

(

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