Katharine McMahon is an historical novelist who, since 1990, has published ten books. Her latest, The Hour of Separation, was released in paperback in 2019. McMahon is the best-selling author of The Rose of Sebastopol which was officially announced on 27 December 2007 as one of the ten titles for the Richard & Judy Book Club 2008. McMahon’s book was subsequently reviewed on the Channel 4 Richard & Judy Show on 24 January 2008. The Rose of Sebastopol was shortlisted for the Best Read Award at the Galaxy British Book Awards 2008. In 2020 the book was released in a new edition with an additional chapter, to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Florence Nightingale. The Rose of Sebastopol was on the Sunday Times Best Seller List and was a Waterstone's No.1 Bestseller. McMahon's previous book The Alchemist's Daughter was one of Waterstone's Paperbacks of the Year in 2006. In two subsequent novels, The Crimson Rooms, and The Woman in the Picture, McMahon introduced the character Evelyn Gifford, a pioneering female lawyer who struggles to gain a foothold in the legal world during the 1920s. Background McMahon studied English and Drama at University of Bristol and qualified as a teacher of English and Drama. Initially she worked in secondary education, but was later appointed as a writing fellow by the Royal Literary Fund at the University of Hertfordshire and University of Warwick. She currently works with the Royal Literary Fund as Head of Outreach. She has worked as a tutor at the Arvon Foundation, and for several years taught the Guardian masterclass on Historical Fiction. Criminal Justice System McMahon also trained as a magistrate in Hertfordshire and North London. She was appointed as course director by the Judicial College to design and run the national training course for Bench Chairmen. For five years she served on the Sentencing Council for England and Wales 2010-2015 and was subsequently appointed as a Judicial Appointments Commissioner. (2014-2017) Latest Audio BBC Front Row July 2020 - discussing Watford's One Town One Book, and the Hour of Separation Lockdown Litfest 2020 Scrapbooks are Out of Fashion - a discussion of a newly digitised scrapbook on Florence Nightingale Books The Hour of Separation (UK paperback) Weidenfeld & Nicolson 2019 The Hour of Separation (UK Hardback) Weidenfeld & Nicolson 2018 The Woman in the Picture (UK paperback) Weidenfeld & Nicolson 30 July 2015 Writing Historical Fiction: A 60-Minute