Louise Mensch
Young Adult Author
Known for such "chick lit" novels as Career Girls, Venus Envy, The Devil You Know, and Tuesday's Child, this popular English author also had a career as a politician, serving the Corby constituency as a Conservative Member of Parliament from 2010 until 2012.
After earning an English degree from Christ Church, Oxford, she worked for MTV Europe, EMI Records, and Sony. She published her debut novel, Career Girls, in 1995.
After retiring from politics, she pursued a career as a journalist, writing for both The Sun and The Times.
She and her journalist sister, Tilly Bagshawe, and other siblings, James and Alice, grew up in London as members of a prominent Roman Catholic family. After divorcing Anthony LoCicero (the father of her three children), she married New York-born music manager Peter Mensch.
Though she represented the Conservative Party in Parliament, she briefly allied herself with the Labour Party during the administration of British Prime Minister Tony Blair.