Sara Bailey lives and works in Orkney. She left the islands for London aged 16. After working in a variety of different jobs including mortuary attendant, stage manager on Les Miserables, and assistant stage manager on fringe and comedy shows she returned to study part time and went on to University. Sara has an MA in Women’s History, an MA in Creative Writing as well as a PhD in Critical and Creative Writing.
Her first book, Writing the Horror Movie was published by Bloomsbury in 2013. Written whilst hiding behind a cushion. Sara is both scared and fascinated by horror.
In the 80’s Sara saw a lot of bands and married the keyboard player from Spandau Ballet, with whom she has two grown up children. Divorced but still friends, she returned to Orkney five years ago and married an Orcadian. Her first novel, Dark Water was published shortly after in 2016 by a small independent publisher. Sara developed and runs the Creative Writing programme for the University of the Highlands & Islands, which is now entering its third year. After a move across the Pentland Firth to the Northern Isles, a wedding, three houses and a doctorate, Sara has started to write again.