Author Kate Saunders dies, aged 62

Novelist, journalist and critic Kate Saunders has died, aged 62. The author of more than 20 novels, Saunders’ had lived with multiple sclerosis for three decades. 

Born in London in 1960, Saunders was the eldest daughter of six children. She was raised in an Anglo- Catholic family and attended the Camden School for Girls, as well as the Anna Scher theatre group.

Her beginnings as an actor at the National Theatre influenced her novels The Mystery of the Sorrowful Maiden (Bloomsbury) and Storm in the Citadel (Mandarin/Jonathan Cape). She also appeared as a policewoman in an episode of "Only Fools and Horses". 

Saunders’ first novel, The Prodigal Father (Jonathan Cape/HarperCollins), earned her the Betty Trask prize. 

Writing everything from historical romance and detective novels to children’s books, the series that brought her into the spotlight was The Belfry Witches (MacMillan Children’s Books/Chivers Press), which was also adapted into a BBC series. She was a judge on the 1990 Booker Prize and the 2007 Women’s Prize, which she helped found. 

After the birth of her only child, Felix, in 1993, she wrote five historical romance novels, among them Night Shall Overtake Us (Arrow/ Cornerstone/ Onyx) and Bachelor Boys (Arrow/ Cornerstone/St Martin’s Griffin).

She moved to Archway when her family home in Dartmouth, where she lived, was sold. There, she wrote children’s books such as Magicalamity (Marion Lloyd Books/Delacorte Books for Young Readers) and Beswitched (Marion Lloyd Books). In 2016, she contributed to the Winnie-the-Pooh sequel, The Best Bear in All the World (Egmont/ Dutton Books for Young Readers). 

Her son, Felix, took his own life aged 19 after suffering with depression. Despite the immense difficulty she endured in her personal life, Saunders went on to win the 2014 Costa children’s book award for Five Children on the Western Front (Faber), which she had written after the death of Felix. The book follows the children from E Nesbit’s Five Children and It trilogy, living through the First World War. It was also shortlisted for the Guardian and Carnegie prizes, while her novel The Land of Neverendings (Faber) was shortlisted for the 2019 Carnegie Medal.

After the success of Five Children, she penned a detective series starting with The Secrets of Wishtide (Bloomsbury), which was published in 2016. Her last work was a children’s book called A Drop of Golden Sun (Faber), which will be published in 2024. 

Agents Millie Hoskins and Caradoc King from United Agents paid tribute to Saunders, telling The Bookseller: “Kate was one of, or possibly, the bravest, funniest, cleverest and most delightful authors we have represented. She had an unerring instinct for the thoughts and words of children in her writing. 

“She was also deliciously sharp but kindly as a chronicler of the modern adult world. She will be deeply missed by so many but we hope that the magic and wisdom of her character will continue to be enjoyed through her books.”

Alice Swan, editorial director at Faber, commented: “I had the pleasure of working with Kate for 15 years, from the beginning of my publishing career, and became her editor in 2013. She was completely hilarious, with a wicked sense of humour, and had the power to make me cry with laughter. She was also incredibly kind and gracious and really just one of my absolute favourite people. I thought the world of her and will miss her enormously.”

A Faber spokesperson added: “’We are extremely saddened to learn of the death of our beloved author Kate Saunders and our thoughts are with her family and friends at this difficult time. She was an extraordinary writer for children and her novels provided so much escapism and joy for her readers. 

“She was the absolute gold standard for quality writing and something of a national treasure. We are deeply honoured to publish her showstopping books. On a personal level, Kate was a brilliantly funny, gracious and compassionate person. We adored her and she will be greatly missed by us all.”