Catherine Rose Gordon-Cumming was born 27 September 1952 in London, England, UK. She studied the arts, cookery, typing, and shorthand. In 1972, Katie married with Desmond Fforde, cousin of the also writer Jasper Fforde. The marriage set up business on the canals. She had three children: Guy, Francis and Briony and didn't start writing before she had the third of them. She has previously worked both as a cleening lady and in a health food cafe. Published since 1995, her romance novels are set in modern-day England. She is founder of the "Katie Fforde Bursary" for writers who have yet to secure a publishing contract. Katie was elected the twenty-fifteenth Chairman (2009-2011) of the Romantic Novelists' Association. She was delighted to have been chosen as Chair of the RNA and says, "Catherine Jones was a wonderful chair and she's a very tough act to follow. However, I've been a member of the RNA for more years than I can actually remember and will have its very best interests at the core of everything I do." After Diane Pearson's retirement as RNA's President in 2011, she was elected its fourth president. Katie lives in Stroud, Gloucestershire, England with her husband, some of her three children and many pets. Recently her old hobbies of ironing and housework have given way to singing, Flamenco dancing and husky racing. She claims this keeps her fit.