Lesley is one of the UK's best-loved novelists with fans across the globe and sales of over 2.5 million copies of her books to date.

She was born in Rochester, Kent and now lives in Somerset. She has three daughters and a grandson.

Leslie is the founder of a first-of-its kind Women of Courage Award (WOCA) celebrating ordinary women who've led extraordinary lives.

Find out more about the Women of Courage Award at: http://www.penguin.co.uk/static/cs/uk/0/articles/womenofcourage/woca.html

Find out more about Lesley at: http://www.penguin.co.uk/static/cs/uk/0/minisites/lesleypearse/index.html