Helen Grant was born in London. She studied classics at St Hugh's College, Oxford, and then worked in marketing for 10 years so she could travel extensively. Her debut novel, The Vanishing of Katharina Linden (Delacorte Press, August 10, 2010), is set in the historic spa town Bad Munstereifel in Germany, where she and her husband moved in 2001. She now lives near Brussels with her husband, two children and two cats. Delacorte Press will publish her second novel, The Glass Demon, in 2011.
On your nightstand now:
Pandaemonium by Christopher Brookmyre: horror, theology, quantum physics and a strong dose of Scottish humour. Also Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities--I've read it many times and I always cry at the end--and Handling the Undead by John Ajvide Lindqvist, which is the most intelligent take on the zombie novel I have ever read: chilling, sad and ultimately uplifting.
Favorite book when you were a child:
She by H. Rider Haggard, an old-fashioned adventure story with an improbably gorgeous hero who goes to Africa to discover a lost tribe led by an immortal queen. Haggard included documents in Greek, Latin and Old English. It all felt so authentic, as though I were making the discoveries myself!
Your top five authors:
I'm going to sound like a terrible old reactionary! Charles Dickens--why did I never appreciate his brilliance when I was younger? Anthony Trollope, whose books have made me both howl with laughter and weep. The inimitable M. R. James, the English ghost story writer. Saki, whose short stories are simply perfect. And since I really ought to drag myself into the 21st century: Stephen Baxter, the science fiction author, for the outrageous scope of his novels. He begins one with the destruction of a planet and works up to a climax!
Book you've faked reading:Plato, a Beginner's Guide by Roy Jackson. I struggled terribly with Plato at Oxford. I never like to admit I'm beat, so I bought this book three years ago with the best of intentions. It actually has dust on it.
Book you’re an evangelist for:
The Writers' & Artists' Yearbook. Whenever I do readings or talks I am asked "How can I get my own book published?" It's all in there, people!
Book you've bought for the cover:
Masterpieces of Medieval Art by James Robinson. I ordered it online because it looked as though it would be beautiful, and it is.
Book that changed your life:
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. Like Jo, the heroine, I had a terrible temper when I was a child. The lesson Jo has to learn, that she should never let the sun go down on her anger, really spoke to me. I'll be giving this book to my own daughter.
Favorite line from a book:
"Hors d'oeuvres have always had a pathetic interest for me," said Reginald, "they remind me of one's childhood that one goes through, wondering what the next course is going to be like--and during the rest of the menu one wishes one had eaten more of the hors d'oeuvres."--Reginald at the Carlton by Saki (H.H. Munro).
Book you most want to read again for the first time:
Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons. It's like seeing a lifestyle coach march into a D.H. Lawrence novel. The first time I read it was on a train, and I laughed so hard that people began to give me funny looks!