Kari Sperring has been writing as long as she can remember and completed her first novel at the age of 8 (12 pages long and about ponies). She started writing fantasy in her teens, inspired by J R R Tolkien, Alexandre Dumas and Thomas Mallory.

She holds a B.A and a PhD in mediaeval history from Cambridge University, and as Kari Maund has written and published five books and many articles on Celtic and Viking history and co-authored a book on the history and real people behind her favourite novel, The Three Musketeers. She's been a barmaid, a tax officer, a P.A. and a university lecturer, and has found that her fascinations, professional or hobby-level, feed and expand into her fiction.

Living With Ghosts evolved from her love of France and its history, ghosts, mysteries, Celtic culture, strange magic and swordfights: her novel-in-progress, The Grass King's Concubine, has even found a creative role for book-keeping. She's British and lives in Cambridge, England with her partner Phil and three badly behaved cats.

Her website can be found at www.karisperring.com and she writes a regular blog on LiveJournal as la_marquise_de_

Kari is published by DAW