Wendy Holden (born 12 June 1965) is a best-selling
British novelist.
Holden was born and raised in
Cleckheaton,
West Riding of Yorkshire.
She attended Whitcliffe Mount School, and read English at
Girton College, Cambridge, graduating from
Cambridge University in the mid-1980s. Holden moved to
London where she found work in the magazine business, eventually working for ''
The Diplomat'' monthly, where she became an editor. From there, she moved on to ''
The Sunday Times''.
One of her responsibilities at the title was
ghostwriting
A ghostwriter is hired to write literary or journalistic works, speeches, or other texts that are officially credited to another person as the author. Celebrities, executives, participants in timely news stories, and political leaders often h ...
a column on behalf of socialite
Tara Palmer-Tomkinson
Tara Claire Palmer-Tomkinson (23 December 1971 – 8 February 2017), also known as T P-T, was an English socialite and television personality. She appeared in several television shows, including the reality programme '' I'm a Celebrity...Get Me ...
, an experience which Holden says influenced her first novel, ''Simply Divine''.
''Simply Divine'' was published in 1999, and Holden went on to write a series of novels, most of which were bestsellers, and which she happily describes as "
chick lit" and "supermarket novels".
After over a decade focused on the genre, Holden turned her attention to historical fiction. Her first novel in the genre, ''The Governess'', told the story of
Marion Crawford
Marion Crawford, CVO (5 June 1909 – 11 February 1988) was a Scottish educator and governess to Princess Margaret and Princess Elizabeth (the future Queen Elizabeth II), who called her Crawfie. Crawford was the named author of the book ''T ...
, governess to the future
Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...
. Her subsequent novel, ''The Duchess'', released in 2021, focused on the life of
Wallis Simpson.
Holden is married, has two children, and lives in the
Derbyshire Peak District.
Publications
* ''Simply Divine''
* ''Bad Heir Day''
* ''Pastures Nouveaux''
* ''Fame Fatale''
* ''Azur Like It''
* ''The Wives of Bath''
* ''The School for Husbands''
* ''Filthy Rich''
* ''Beautiful People''
* ''Gallery Girl''
* ''Marrying Up''
* ''Gifted and Talented''
* ''Wild and Free''
* ''The Honeymoon Suite''
* ''The Hipster Weddings''
* ''Last of the Summer Moet''
* ''A View to a Kilt''
* ''The Governess''
* ''The Duchess''
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holden, Wendy
1965 births
Living people
People from Cleckheaton
British chick lit writers
English novelists
English women novelists
Ghostwriters