Reina James (born 1947) is a British author, singer and actress. She has written two novels, the first of which won the Society of Authors'

McKitterick Prize The McKitterick Prize is a United Kingdom literary prize. It is administered by the Society of Authors. It was endowed by Tom McKitterick (journalist), Tom McKitterick, who had been an editor of ''The Political Quarterly'' but had also written ...

in 2007.

Early life

James was born in 1947, shortly after her parents moved to the UK from South Africa. Her father was the actor

Sid James Sidney James (born Solomon Joel Cohen; 8 May 1913 – 26 April 1976) was a South African–British actor and comedian whose career encompassed radio, television, stage and screen. Noted for his distinctive laugh, he was best known for numerou ...

. During her teenage years she played in a folk group before marrying and starting a family. In her late 20s she appeared in the stage play '' John, Paul, George, Ringo ... and Bert'' by

Willy Russell William Russell (born 23 August 1946) is an English dramatist, lyricist and composer. His best known works are '' Educating Rita'', '' Shirley Valentine'', '' Blood Brothers'' and '' Our Day Out''. Early life Russell was born in Whiston, Lanc ...

, and later appeared in Russell's musical '' Blood Brothers''.

Writing career

Having worked since the 1980s as an astrological counsellor, James published her first novel, ''This Time of Dying'' in 2007, which won the Society of Authors'

, awarded for the best first novel by a writer over the age of 40. Her second novel, ''The Old Joke'', was published in 2009.

Family

James has been married to her second husband Mike Reinstein, a musician, since 1991. She has one son and one grandchild (through her first marriage).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:James, Reina 1947 births Living people 21st-century English women writers 21st-century British novelists Jewish English writers