Sara Sheridan

Sara Sheridan (born 7 June 1968) is a Scottish writer who works in a variety of genres, though predominately in historical fiction. She is the creator of the Mirabelle Bevan mysteries.

Born Sara Louise Goodwin, Sheridan comes from Edinburgh and was educated at Trinity College, Dublin.

Sheridan’s first book, contemporary commercial fiction, Truth or Dare entered the Sunday Times top 50 when it was published in 1998. It was nominated for the Saltire Prize and was also listed in the Scottish Libraries Top 100 Books. In the successive two years Sheridan wrote two more novels in the same genre, Ma Polinski’s Pockets and The Pleasure Express. During this period, she also co-wrote two short films, Fish Supper starring Lynda Bellingham and The Window Bed, which was nominated for a Sky Movies Max Award in 2001. She was then commissioned by specialist publisher Barrington Stoke to write a novella for reluctant readers, called The Blessed and The Damned.

In 2003, she switched genres to historical fiction and funded the move by ghostwriting. She now writes two series of historical novels: one based on the real lives of late Georgian/early Victorian adventurers (The Secret Mandarin – 2009, Secret of the Sands - 2011, On Starlit Seas - 2016, Indian Summer - 2018 and Highland Fling 2019) and a series of 1950s cosy crime noir mysteries featuring her fictional ex-secret service heroine, Mirabelle Bevan (Brighton Belle – 2012, London Calling – 2014, British Bulldog - 2015, Operation Goodwood - 2016 and Russian Roulette - 2017). The Mirabelle Bevan Mysteries were optioned by STV in 2015 and are now in development. She has also written a children’s picture book, (I’m Me – 2010) which was inspired by her relationship with her niece.

Sheridan occasionally appears as a commenter on TV and radio in the UK. She has reported from both Tallinn, Estonia and Sharjah, United Arab Emirates for BBC Radio 4. She has contributed to several British newspapers, including writing blog articles for The Guardian in 2011.

In 2013 she appeared on The History of the Lady on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour. Sheridan also writes blog articles for the Huffington Post and occasionally writes for the BBC online.

A portrait of her by Scottish artist, Sophie Mckay Knight the result of a creative collaboration, was featured by The Guardian Art & Design column in 2015 before going on to public exhibition in the National Gallery of Scotland.

In 2016 Sara was inspired to found REEK. - a fragrance company that speaks out against the lack of female memorialisation throughout history. Her fragrances memorialise 'heroic, unapologetic and passionate women from history to the present day' and has been called the 'first feminist fragrance'. The first fragrance from REEK. is in memory of the Jacobite women.