Bonnie Garmus

"Elizabeth Zott had been a character — a minor character — in a book that I started and shelved. But she came back to me one day. And this is, seriously, like ten years later. I'd had a really, really bad day at work. I'd endured some, what I would call, average sexism. I'd been in a meeting, and somebody basically took credit for all of my ideas ... after I had just presented them. ... I went back to my desk and I felt like Elizabeth Zott was sitting there. And I wrote the first chapter of Lessons in Chemistry — that day in my office."

"I think any time a writer wants to take on a difficult topic without sounding didactic, humour really helps. Sexism is demeaning, depressing, infuriating, boring, inefficient, stupid, revolting and completely unscientific – in other words, not funny. But people reveal both their strengths and weaknesses when they try to deal with it, or not deal with it, and therein lies the potential for humour."

"Born in 1957, Bonnie has enjoyed a successful career as a copywriter and creative director, before turning her hand to fiction. Raised in California she left the US to live first in Geneva and then in London as her husband’s job moved from city to city. In fact it was her arrival in London and the need to get out and make friends that led her to joining a creative writing group. From there she found the confidence to try her hand once more at getting published. This time, she landed an agent — and not just any agent but Felicity Blunt of no less, sister of Hollywood star and wife of actor , and more importantly, one of the best in the business."

"Jane McGowan,"