With the exception of winning a national essay competition at the age of 11 – it was about a cow, but that’s another story! - and helping to write a Slut’s Manual for a friend turning 21, Colette didn’t start writing until 1996. This was after she had become disillusioned with her office job and taken to eating lunch alone at her desk and reading books from every genre– good and bad.

After finishing one particularly awful book Colette thought, as we all do, ‘I can do better than this’ and started writing. After just a few chapters, she abandoned her efforts and it was months later after she had left her job, Colette rediscovered her book. After much persuasion from a girlfriend, Colette sent it off to Kate Cruise O’Brien in Poolbeg Press. She signed a contract with Poolbeg just one month later.

The first novel, Too Little, Too Late was published in Ireland at the beginning of March 1999. It went straight in to the Bestseller’s chart at number four, climbed to number two and made the long hard slog worthwhile when it reached number one where it stayed for two weeks.

Colette's books are available throughout Ireland, the UK and commonwealth countries and have been translated into Dutch, German, Polish, Estonian and Russian.

When she's not writing Colette is a busy mother and housewife. To relax she spends time with her husband and sons, walks, reads or just sits back and watches the world go by.