Lucinda Kate Riley (née Edmonds; 16 February 1965 – 11 June 2021)[1][2] was a Northern Irish author of popular historical fiction, formerly an actress and ballet dancer.

Lucinda Edmonds was born in Lisburn[1] and spent the first few years of her life in the village of Drumbeg, near Belfast, before moving to England.

The novels have been translated into several languages and have sold a combined total of more than 30 million books.

[citation needed] In 2016, producer Raffaella De Laurentiis purchased the television rights to this series.

[1][5] In 2019, Riley revealed to Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang that she had oesophageal cancer.