Adele Parks is an English

women's fiction Women's fiction is an umbrella term for women centered books that focus on women's life experience that are marketed to female readers, and includes many mainstream novels or women's rights books. It is distinct from women's writing, which refers ...

author. She has written 21 novels in her 21-year career as an author and is one of the bestselling authors of women's fiction in the United Kingdom.

Biography

Parks was born in

Teesside Teesside () is a built-up area around the River Tees in the north of England, split between County Durham and North Yorkshire. The name was initially used as a county borough in the North Riding of Yorkshire. Historically a hub for heavy manu ...

. She decided she wanted to be a writer at the age of 7 and studied English at the

University of Leicester , mottoeng = So that they may have life , established = , type = public research university , endowment = £20.0 million , budget = £326 million , chancellor = David Willetts , vice_chancellor = Nishan Canagarajah , head_labe ...

. Before becoming a novelist, Parks worked in advertising and management consultancy. Her debut novel, ''Playing Away'', was released in 2000. As of January 2022, she has sold over 4 million UK edition copies of her novels and her books have been translated into 30 languages. Every one of her 21 novels are bestsellers in the UK. Her Majesty the Queen gave her the honour of M.B.E in the New Year Honours List 2022. She was a judge of the

Costa Book Awards The Costa Book Awards were a set of annual literary awards recognising English-language books by writers based in UK and Ireland. Originally named the Whitbread Book Awards from 1971 to 2005 after its first sponsor, the Whitbread company, then ...

in 2010 and has regularly been the judge of the Costa Short Story Awards. In 2009 she was awarded an honorary doctorate, a

Doctor of Letters Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Doctor ...

, by

Teesside University , mottoeng = Deeds Not Words , established = 1930 – Constantine Technical College1969 – as Teesside Polytechnic 1992 – gained university status , type = Public , endowment = £0.23 m (2019/20) , chancellor ...

. Her Quick Read book, ''Happy Families'', won the Learners' Favourite Award. She is an ambassador for literacy charity

The Reading Agency The Reading Agency is a charity registered in England and Wales which promotes the benefits of reading among children and adults in UK, working with partners including public libraries, colleges and prisons. Operations Sue Wilkinson served as t ...

and a Patron of the

National Literacy Trust The National Literacy Trust is an independent charity (registered no. 1116260 in England and Wales and registered no. SCO42944 in Scotland) based in London, England, that promotes literacy. It was founded by Sir Simon Hornby, former chairman of th ...

. She is also a Patron of The Guildford Book Festival. ''Lies, Lies, Lies'' was shortlisted for the 2020 Fiction Book of the Year in the

British Book Awards The British Book Awards or Nibbies are literary awards for the best UK writers and their works, administered by ''The Bookseller''. The awards have had several previous names, owners and sponsors since being launched in 1990, including the National ...

. In 2020, Parks entered a deal with MPCA and Engage Productions for cinematic adaptations of her books. Parks was appointed

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(MBE) in the

2022 New Year Honours The 2022 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebrations ...

for services to literature.

Personal life

Parks has been married twice, divorcing her first husband aged 32. She has an adult son, Conrad.

Works

*''Playing Away'' (2000) *''Game Over'' (2001) *''Larger Than Life'' (2002) *''The Other Woman's Shoes'' (2003) *''Still Thinking of You'' (2004) *''Husbands'' (2005) *''Young Wives' Tales'' (2007) *''Happy Families'' (2008) *''Tell Me Something'' (2008) *''Love Lies'' (2009) *''Men I've Loved Before'' (2010) *''About Last Night'' (2011) *''Whatever It Takes'' (2012) *''The State We're In'' (2013) *''Spare Brides'' (2014) *''If You Go Away'' (2015) *''Love Is a Journey'' (2016) *''The Stranger in My Home'' (2016) *''The Image of You'' (2017) *''I Invited Her In'' (2018) *''Lies Lies Lies'' (2019) *''Just My Luck'' (2020) *''Both of You'' (2021) *''One Last Secret'' (2022)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Parks, Adele 21st-century English novelists Alumni of the University of Leicester Living people 1969 births Members of the Order of the British Empire