Rebecca Smith

Rebecca Smith has been fascinated by big cats wild in the UK since she first heard tales of the Surrey puma when she was little. Shadow Cat Summer was inspired by a stay at Moniack Mohr in the Scottish Highlands and her own and her children’s love of the natural world. She has two (small) cats, some chickens, and is a Dog Granny to a black cocker spaniel called Ziggy.  Rebecca has Scottish, Indian and English heritage. She is a Principal Teaching Fellow in English and Creative Writing  at the University of Southampton.

Rebecca's previous publications are The Ash Museum (Legend Press, 2021), Where's Jane? (Ivy Kids, 2018), The Jane Austen Writers' Club: Inspiration and Advice from the World's Best-Loved Novelist (Bloomsbury, 2016), Jane Austen's Guide To Modern Life's Dilemmas (Ivy Press, 2012) , and the novels, A Bit of EarthHappy Birthday and All That, and The Bluebird Café (all published by Bloomsbury).