With her debut novel The Thirteenth Tale, Setterfield not only landed one of the biggest publishing deals in history but also topped the best-seller lists on both sides of the Atlantic.

Now available in paperback, her mystery has already become established as a modern-day classic while earning Setterfield plaudits and comparisons with British greats such as Wilkie Collins.

In this OutLoud interview, Setterfield describes her shock at the £800,000 deal with Orion, how she established the 'voice' of the characters, and the magic of writing a book that felt almost as if it wanted to write itself.


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Diane Setterfield was born in Reading and grew up in Theale. She entered academia at the University of Bristol where she studied French Literature and was working in the French department at the University of Central Lancashire when she began working on what would become her debut novel, leading her to give up her job to write full-time.

Setterfield drew heavily for her book on her knowledge and love of language formed through her passion for literature, in particular the work of Andre Gide, the Nobel Prize-winning French writer. Her novel was completed in five years and accepted by the first agent to receive the manuscript. The Thirteenth Tale was published in hardback in 2006 and work is underway on the film of the same name.

Setterfield lives in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, with her accountant husband and is due to begin writing her second book in January 2008.

The Thirteenth Tale, £6.99, is published in paperback by Orion, ISBN 978-0752881676

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