Female Writers: 2000s - books to screen

Helen Fielding was born on 19 February 1958 in Morley, West Yorkshire, England, UK. She is a writer and producer, known for Bridget Jones's Diary (2001), Bridget Jones's Baby (2016) and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004).

Tracy Chevalier was born on 19 October 1962 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. She is a writer, known for Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003), Remarkable Creatures and Falling Angels (2002). She is married to Jonathan Drori. They have one child.

Jane Austen was born on December 16th, 1775, to the local rector, Rev. George Austen (1731-1805), and Cassandra Leigh (1739-1827). She was the seventh of eight children. She had one older sister, Cassandra. In 1783 she went to Southampton to be taught by a relative, Mrs. Cawley, but was brought home due to a local outbreak of disease. Two years later she attended the Abbey Boarding School in Reading, reportedly wanting to follow her sister Cassandra, until 1786.

Jane was mostly educated at home, where she learned how to play the piano, draw and write creatively. She read frequently and later came to enjoy social events such as parties, dances and balls. She disliked the busy life of towns and preferred the country life, where she took to taking long walks.

In 1801 Jane, her parents and sister moved to Bath, a year after her father's retirement, and the family frequented the coast. While on one of those coastal holidays she met a young man, but the resulting romantic involvement ended tragically when he died. It is believed by many astute Austen fans that her novel, "Persuasion", was inspired by this incident.

Following her father's passing in January of 1805--which left his widow and daughters with financial problems--the family moved several times until finally settling into a small house, in Chawton, Hampshire, owned by her brother Edward, which is reminiscent of "Sense and Sensibility". It was in this house that she wrote most of her works.

In March of 1817 her health began to decline and she was forced to abandon her work on "Sanditon", which she never completed. It turned out that she had Addisons disease. In April she wrote out her will and then on May 24th moved with Cassandra to Winchester, to be near her physician. It was in Winchester she died, in the arms of her sister, on Friday, 18 July 1817, at the age of only 41. She was buried the 24th of July at Winchester Cathedral. Jane never married.

During her formative years, Jane wrote plays and poems. At 14 she wrote her first novel, "Love and Freindship [sic]" and other juvenilia. Her first (unsuccessful) submission to a publisher, however, was in 1797 titled "First Impressions" (later "Pride and Prejudice"). In 1803 "Susan" (later "Northanger Abbey") was actually sold to a publisher for a mere £10 but was not published until 14 years later, posthumously. Her first accepted work was in 1811 titled "Sense and Sensibility", which was published anonymously as were all books published during her lifetime. She revised "First Impressions" and published it entitled "Pride and Prejudice" in 1813. "Mansfield Park" was published in 1814, followed by "Emma" in 1816, the same year she completed "Persuasion" and began "Sanditon", which was ultimately left unfinished. Both "Persuasion" and "Northanger Abbey" were published in 1818, after her death.

Lauren Weisberger was born on 28 March 1977 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for The Devil Wears Prada (2006), Today (1952) and The 2nd Annual Quill Awards (2006). She has been married to Mike Cohen since 5 April 2008. They have two children.

Stephenie born in Connecticut in 1973. Her family was settled in Phoenix by the time she was four. The unusual spelling of her name came from her father, Stephen ( + ie).

Stephenie went to high school in Scottsdale, Arizona. She was awarded a National Merit Scholarship, and she used it to pay her way to Brigham Young University, in Provo, Utah. She majored in English.

Stephenie met her husband, Pancho, when she was four, but they only saw each other weekly through church activities. When they finally got around to exchanging words, sixteen years after their first meeting, it only took nine months from the first "hello" to the wedding.

They have been married for ten and a half years now, and have three boys. Gabe is eight, Seth is five, and Eli is three.

Twilight is her very first novel. New Moon is the second book in the series, Eclipse the third. The fourth book Breaking Dawn was released in August 2008.

Julia Child was born on 15 August 1912 in Pasadena, California, USA. She was a writer and director, known for The French Chef (1962), Julie & Julia (2009) and We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story (1993). She was married to Paul Child. She died on 13 August 2004 in Montecito, California, USA.

Lynn Barber was born on 22 May 1944 in Bagshot, Surrey, England, UK. She is a writer, known for An Education (2009), The Garden Party (1988) and Call My Bluff (1965). She was previously married to David Cardiff.

Shana Alexander was born on 6 October 1925 in New York City, New York, USA. She was a writer, known for The Slender Thread (1965), Nutcracker: Money, Madness & Murder (1987) and Mrs. Harris (2005). She was married to Stephen Alexander Jr.. She died on 23 June 2005 in Hermosa Beach, California, USA.

Patricia Highsmith was born on 19 January 1921 in Fort Worth, Texas, USA. She was a writer, known for The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), Strangers on a Train (1951) and Deep Water (2022). She died on 4 February 1995 in Locarno, Switzerland.