Barbara Taylor Bradford

Barbara Taylor Bradford OBE (born 10 May 1933) is a best-selling British-American novelist. Her debut novel, A Woman of Substance, was published in 1979 and sold over 30 million copies worldwide. She wrote 39 novels, all bestsellers in England and the United States.
In her youth, Barbara read Charles Dickens, the Brontë sisters, Thomas Hardy, and Colette. At age ten she decided to be a writer after sending a story to a magazine. She was paid seven 7s 6d for the story, with which she bought handkerchiefs and a green vase for her parents.
Barbara left school at 15. She became a reporter for the Yorkshire Evening Post after working briefly in their typing pool. While a reporter, she worked alongside Keith Waterhouse.