{{Short description|Irish writer}} {{about|the Irish former journalist and writer|the American ring announcer, television host, journalist and actress|Cathy Kelley}}{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2014}} {{Infobox writer <!-- For more information see [[:Template:Infobox Writer/doc]]. --> | name = Cathy Kelly | image = | image_size = | alt = | caption = | pseudonym = | birth_name = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1966|09|12}}<ref name="Cathy Kelly goes from agony aunt to bestselling novelist">{{cite web|url=http://www.couriermail.com.au/entertainment/books/from-agony-aunt-to-bestselling-novelist/story-e6freqkx-1225910907417|title=Cathy Kelly goes from agony aunt to bestselling novelist |date=27 August 2010|accessdate=27 October 2011|publisher=[[Brisbane Courier-Mail]]}}</ref> | birth_place = [[Belfast]], Northern Ireland | death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} --> | death_place = | resting_place = | occupation = | language = English | citizenship = | education = | alma_mater = | period = 1997–present | genre = [[Women's fiction]] | subject = Women and relationships | movement = | notableworks = | spouse = | partner = | children = | relatives = | awards = [[RoNA Award]] | signature = | signature_alt = | website = {{URL|https://www.cathykelly.co.uk}} | portaldisp = }}
'''Cathy Kelly''' (born September 12, 1966) is an Irish writer of [[women's fiction]] and a former journalist. In 2001, her novel ''Someone Like You'' won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award from the [[Romantic Novelists' Association]].<ref name="RoNAAwards">{{Cite web |title=Awards |url=https://romanticnovelistsassociation.org/awards/ |access-date=2024-01-14 |website=RNA |language=en-GB}}</ref>
== Life and career == Born in [[Belfast]] but raised in [[Dublin]],<ref name="Book Talk: Modern, ancient Ireland inspire novelist Cathy Kelly"/> Kelly studied at a [[convent school]]. She was a journalist for the ''[[Sunday World]],'' where she published an [[advice column]] and [[film criticism]].<ref name="Book Talk: Modern, ancient Ireland inspire novelist Cathy Kelly"/>
Kelly published her first book ''Woman To Woman'', which became an international bestseller, in 1997.<ref name="Book Talk: Modern, ancient Ireland inspire novelist Cathy Kelly"/> She published two more books, ''She’s The One'' and ''Never Too Late,'' before retiring from journalism in 2001.<ref name="Cathy Kelly The Official Site">{{cite web |date=6 March 2012 |title=Home |url=https://www.cathykelly.co.uk/ |website=Cathy Kelly}}</ref>
''Someone Like You'', ''What She Wants'', ''Just Between Us,'' and ''Best of Friends'' followed in successive years.<ref name="Cathy Kelly The Official Site" /> ''Always and Forever'' was her first hardback to reach number one, then it topped the overall UK bestseller list in October 2005.<ref name="Cathy Kelly The Official Site" />
Her books ''Lessons in Heartbreak'' and ''Homecoming'' were shortlisted for the [[Eason & Son|Eason]] Irish Popular Fiction Book of the Year at the [[Irish Book Awards]].<ref name="Eclectic shortlist for Irish Book Awards">{{cite news |author=Burke-Kennedy |first=Eoin |date=1 April 2009 |title=Eclectic shortlist for Irish Book Awards |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/eclectic-shortlist-for-irish-book-awards-1.734701 |accessdate=13 January 2024 |newspaper=[[The Irish Times]]}}</ref> ''Once in a Lifetime'' topped the UK bestsellers again<ref>{{cite news |author=Byrne |first=Andrea |date=20 September 2009 |title=Literary elite bring their words to life |url=https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/books/literary-elite-bring-their-words-to-life/26567863.html |accessdate=13 January 2024 |newspaper=[[Irish Independent]]}}</ref> for multiple weeks.<ref>{{cite magazine |author=Stone |first=Philip |date=15 September 2009 |title=Cathy Kelly stays on top for HarperCollins |url=https://www.thebookseller.com/news/cathy-kelly-stays-top-harpercollins |url-status=live |access-date=13 January 2024 |magazine=The Bookseller |accessdate= |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100119090216/http://www.thebookseller.com/news/96846-cathy-kelly-stays-on-top-for-harpercollins.html |archivedate=19 January 2010}}</ref> In March 2011, ''Homecoming'' did the same. Her short story collection, ''Christmas Magic'', was the Christmas number one in Ireland.<ref name="Cathy Kelly The Official Site" /> She is a number one bestseller in Australia and New Zealand, where she tours annually, and her works have been translated into many different languages.<ref name="Curtis Brown">{{cite web |date= |title=Cathy Kelly |url=https://www.curtisbrown.co.uk/client/cathy-kelly |access-date=13 January 2024 |website=Curtis Brown}}</ref>
Kelly is involved with many charities and has been an ambassador for [[UNICEF Ireland]] since 2005.<ref name="Book Talk: Modern, ancient Ireland inspire novelist Cathy Kelly">{{cite news |author=Askin |first=Pauline |date=1 April 2009 |title=Book Talk: Modern, ancient Ireland inspire novelist Cathy Kelly |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/books-author-kelly-idUSSYD50235020090401/ |accessdate=13 January 2024 |work=[[Reuters]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=12 December 2009 |title=what you can do to help unicef |url=https://www.independent.ie/life/what-you-can-do-to-help-unicef/26590680.html |accessdate=13 January 2024 |newspaper=[[Irish Independent]]}}</ref>
In 2022, Kelly appeared on the [[Dancing with the Stars (Irish series 5)|fifth series]] of the [[Dancing with the Stars (Irish TV series)|Irish version of ''Dancing With the Stars'']].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fetherstonhaugh |first=Neil |date=14 December 2021 |title=Author Cathy Kelly to compete on Dancing with the Stars |url=https://www.sundayworld.com/showbiz/irish-showbiz/former-sunday-world-agony-aunt-cathy-kelly-to-join-dancing-with-the-stars/41148101.html |access-date=13 January 2024 |website=SundayWorld.com}}</ref>
==Published works==
===Novels=== *''Woman to Woman'' (1997) *''She's the One'' (1998) *''Never Too Late'' (1999) *''Someone Like You'' (2000) *''What She Wants'' (2001) *''Just Between Us'' (2002) *''Best of Friends'' (2003) *''Always and Forever'' (2005) *''Past Secrets'' (2006) *''Lessons in Heartbreak'' (2008) *''Once in a Lifetime'' (2009) *''The Perfect Holiday'' (2010) *''Homecoming'' (2010) *''The House on Willow Street'' (2012) *''The Honey Queen'' (2013) *''It Started With Paris'' (2014) *''Between Sisters'' (2015) *''Secrets of a Happy Marriage'' (2017)<ref name="SECRETSHAPPYMARRIAGE">{{cite web |title=Secrets of a Happy Marriage by Cathy Kelly |url=https://www.fantasticfiction.com/k/cathy-kelly/secrets-of-a-happy-marriage.htm |accessdate=2017-01-29 |website=Fantastic Fiction |publisher=}}</ref>
===Novellas=== *''Letter from Chicago'' (2002)
===Collections=== *''Christmas Magic'' (2011)
==References and sources== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [https://www.cathykelly.co.uk/ Official website] * [https://www.facebook.com/cathykellybooks/ Facebook page] * [https://twitter.com/cathykellybooks/ Twitter page] * [https://www.fantasticfiction.com/k/cathy-kelly/ Fantastic Fiction page] * [https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Cathy-Kelly/18464596 Author profile] on [[Simon & Schuster]]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, Cathy}} [[Category:1966 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Irish film critics]] [[Category:Irish women critics]] [[Category:Irish women novelists]] [[Category:Journalists from Belfast]] [[Category:RoNA Award winners]] [[Category:20th-century Irish novelists]] [[Category:21st-century Irish novelists]] [[Category:20th-century Irish women writers]] [[Category:21st-century Irish women writers]] [[Category:Women romantic fiction writers]] [[Category:Women film critics]] [[Category:20th-century women journalists from Northern Ireland]] [[Category:21st-century women journalists from Northern Ireland]] [[Category:20th-century journalists from Northern Ireland]] [[Category:21st-century journalists from Northern Ireland]] [[Category:Advice columnists]]