Margaret Leroy is a highly accomplished English author, best known for her historical fiction novels. She grew up in the New Forest, a region in southern England, where she developed a love for writing at a young age. As a child, she wrote elaborate fantasy stories that she kept to herself, but stopped writing for a number of years during her twenties.
During this time, Leroy tried various jobs, including music therapy, play-leading with children with disabilities, and teaching. She also attended Oxford to study music and worked in a toy shop. It wasn't until she began working as a social worker, qualifying at Leicester University and working in psychiatry and child protection, that she started writing again. Leroy found her work as a social worker fascinating, though she later depicted social workers more often as villains than heroes in her writing.
Margaret Leroy has written eight novels, with her first novel, Trust, being televised by Granada and reaching an audience of eight million. The Perfect Mother was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, The Drowning Girl was chosen for the Oprah Summer Reading List, and The Soldier's Wife was a Goodreads Historical Fiction finalist. Leroy's books have been published in twelve languages, showcasing her global appeal. She is married with two daughters and currently resides in London.