Who is Louise Doughty? Apple Tree Yard author, Booker Prize judge and journalist – all you need to know
NOT long ago, many Brits hadn't heard of author Louise Doughty.
But all that changed with the arrival of BBC's racy new show Apple Tree Yard, which is based on one of Louise's bestselling books.
The scenes of graphic rape and domestic violence have certainly got people talking.
Here's what you need to know about Louise, and what else she's written.
Who is Louise Doughty?
Louise was born in the East Midlands and grew up in Rutland, England's smallest county.
The rural setting of her upbringing later provided a setting for Louise's third novel Honey-Dew, which was published in 1996.
The 53-year-old studied at Leeds University, before doing an MA in creative writing at University of East Anglia.
Louise later moved to London, where she has lived ever since.
She spent the remainder of her twenties doing a series of temp jobs - including secretarial work and teaching.
It was her experiences as a temp secretary that inspired her first novel Crazy Paving, published in 1995.
Louise's debut book is a black comedy - as well as a tale of accidents, urban terrorism and Chaos Theory.
What books has Louise Doughty written?
- Crazy Paving (1995): A novel about accidents, Chaos Theory and urban terrorism
- Dance With Me (1996): A novel about ghosts, mental illness and sexual betrayal
- Honey-Dew (1998): Satire on the traditional English murder mystery
- Fires in the Dark (2003): A novel about the mass murder of Romany people by Nazis during WWII
- Stone Cradle (2006): A story based on her Romany ancestry
- Whatever You Love (2010): A novel about a mother's revenge on the driver of the car which killed her daughter
- Apple Tree Yard (2013): Racy and violent novel about a scientist's affair, the basis of the current BBC show
- Black Water (2016): A thriller, set in Bali
What else has Louise Doughty written?
As well as her eight novels, Louise has written several award-winning radio dramas and short stories.
Louise has also published one non-fiction book, A Novel in a Year, based on her popular newspaper column with the Daily Telegraph.
She works as a critical and cultural commentator for several newspapers both here in Britain and abroad.
Louise has also had success in the radio world, presenting BBC R4 shows A Good Read and Writer's Workshop.
She was a judge for the Man Booker Prize in 2008 and the Costa Book of Year Award in 2015.
The writer has confirmed she is penning a sequel to the raunchy BBC drama, a source told The Sun: “Despite the early outrage over all the sex and the brutal rape scene in the opening episode – Apple Tree Yard has proven to be a real hit.
“Louise has made no secret of her plan to write a sequel and has even told pals that she’s started drafting ideas for a second novel."
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