Annabel Christie

Annabel Christie fell in love with nature as a young girl growing up in the 1970s when the Kent countryside, where she lived, was awash with hedgerows, ancient woodland, hay meadows and farm ponds. Inspired by her naturalist father and a magical childhood garden, she wrote her first nature diary at the age of 12 but that passion soon subsided when, as a truculent teenager, she switched wildlife for wild parties and boys. After gaining an MA in English Literature at St Andrews University, she went on to have a successful career in financial journalism, public relations and charity fundraising. She has now happily retreated to the countryside where she has rediscovered her love of gardening, nature and writing. When she is not at her laptop, Annabel is out in her wildlife haven, exploring the Oxfordshire countryside with her devoted flat-coated retriever, Georgie, or campaigning on behalf of her local Wildlife Trust, BBOWT. The Guilty Gardener is her first book.