Alison grew up in Liverpool, and now lives in a medieval house in Somerset with her three teenage children, her partner - a carpenter - an extremely naughty Jack Russell and a ghost cat. She has co-authored a number of non-fiction titles on subjects as diverse as growing old, mad monarchs, how to boil a flamingo, the history of America and the biography of a nineteenth-century baby killer. She has worked as a fashion designer, a production controller, a painter and decorator, a barmaid, and now owns and runs a vintage tea room. THE QUIETNESS was Alison's first novel for young adult readers, and explored the relationship between two girls caught in the dark underbelly of Victorian London. Follow Alison at www.alisonrattle.com or on Twitter: @alisonrattle