Morag began writing in her late teens as a storyline deviser for Disney comic books alongside veteran Associated London Script editors Galton and Simpson, before becoming Britain’s youngest magazine editor.

Through the eighties she edited iconic titles such as Just Seventeen, before returning to her parents native Ireland in the 90s to edit Irish Tatler.

In 2000 she began her fiction career, writing four bestselling comedy novels in four years - Dancing with Mules (2001) Disco Daddy (2002) Poison Arrows (2003) and Superstar Lovers (2004) before adopting the pen name Kate Kerrigan and switching to era fiction.

As Kate she has written, Recipes for a Perfect Marriage (2006), The Miracle of Grace (2008), Ellis Island (2008) (New York Times bestseller, Channel 4 TV BookClub), City of Hope (2009) Land of Dreams (2010) The Lost Garden (2012) The Dress (2015) (Irish Book Awards nominee), It Was Only Ever You (2017) (RoNA Historical Novel winner) and That Girl (2018).

Kate’s novels been translated into 25 languages and optioned/developed for film and television.

She is currently developing Smalltown, a series of contemporary cosy-crime stories for both television and novel formats.

Kate is currently writing a memoir based on her experiences as a second-generation Irish woman growing up in 80s London. The memoir is inspired by her one-woman show Am I Irish Yet? which is currently touring the UK and Ireland with a US tour planned for 2024.

Praise for The Miracle of Grace

“...weepy about the unique relationship between a mother and daughter. Make sure you have a hankie tucked into your bikini!”
Bella Magazine

Praise for Ellis Island

“Kerrigan is excellent at evoking both rustic Ireland and 20th-century New York.”

Publishers Weekly

“Brisk and pleasant.”

Booklist

“Kate Kerrigan’s Ellis Island is a standout novel that vividly brings alive the very different worlds of New York and Ireland in the 1920s. A love story shot through with a perfect sense of the period, it is a rare combination of historical enlightenment and sheer enjoyment.”

Peter Quinn, author of The Man Who Never Returned

“Kerrigan is a lovely writer and her book breaks from the traditional mould.”

Sunday Tribune

Praise for Land Of Dreams

“I devoured this book in one sitting – I LOVED IT!”

Marian Keyes

“With echoes of Angela’s Ashes and even The Notebook . . . Ellis Island is a feel-good story about love, freedom, belonging and the meaning of home”

Stylist

“This is a book to keep. Anyone who reads it will return to it, time and again”

Ireland on Sunday

“Kerrigan captures the 1942 Hollywood milieu nicely with her sure touch for historical fiction.”

Booklist

“A delicious portrayal of the glamour of 1940s Hollywood, and a wonderful conclusion to the Ellis Island trilogy.”

Hazel Gaynor, New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Who Came Home

Praise for The Dress

“A book with heart; warm, enjoyable and gently compelling”

Daily Mail

Praise For It Only Ever You

“Great drama, fabulous characters, heart-wrenching emotion and period detail galore”

Daily Mail

“A beautifully wrought love story ... Kate’s style deftly weaves believable characters and romantic longing with the everyday dramas that bind and divide local communities”

Irish Daily Star.

“Ideal read for lovers of historical fiction ... A classic love story with a musical twist”

Bleach House Library

 

“No one does lavish vintage romance like Kate Kerrigan ... Emotional drama, with fabulous characters”.

Daily Mail

“A wonderfully atmospheric novel from an author at the top of her game”

Irish Independent

Praise for That Girl

“A book of friendship, love and heartache ... The story is so captivating that I could not put it down and finished it in just over a day ... Absolutely brilliant!”

Stardust Book Reviews.

“A memorable story, punctuated with vivid imagery and believable characters, not to be missed”

Jane Hunt Writer

“A story of everyday life, friendships, love, with a little bit of heartache and tragedy thrown in. It’s one of the best books I’ve read in a long time and I keep recommending it to everyone!”

Beauty Balm

“Made me smile, made me tear up, and made me think about the value of friendship and forging your own path regardless of what anyone else thinks or says. A truly fabulous novel!”

Books of All Kinds

Rights Sold

Recipes for a Perfect Marriage : Macmillan (UK), Hyperion (USA), Kragozor (Bulgaria), Bazar Forlag /(Cappelen Damm AS) (Denmark),Bazar Forlag /(Cappelen Damm AS) (Finland), Velagsgruppe Random House (German), Unieboek BV (Holland), PT Gramedia (Indonesia), RCS Libra (Italy), Tokuma Shoten (Japan), Alma Littera Ltd (Lithuania), Cappelen Damm AS (Norway), Wydawnictwo Ksiaznica (Poland), Astrel-SPb (Russia), Laguna Resavska 33 (Serbia), Publicanios Y Ediciones (Spain),Bazar Forlag /(Cappelen Damm AS) (Sweden),

The Miracle of Grace: Macmillan (UK),Mozaik Knjiga (Croatia),Pt Gramedia (Indonesia),Rcs Libra (Italy), Wydawnictwo Ksiaznica (Poland), Desk D.O. (Slovenia),

Ellis Island: Macmillan (UK), HarperCollins (USA),Gyunggi Korea (Korea),Cappelen Damm AS (Norway)

City Of Hope :Macmillan (UK),HarperCollins (USA),

Land Of Dreams: Macmillan (UK),

The Lost Garden: Macmillan (UK),

The Dress Head of Zeus: (UK, Commonwealth, US)

Only Ever You: Head of Zeus: (UK, Commonwealth, US)

That Girl: Head of Zeus: (UK, Commonwealth, US)