Biographical note

Author of the worldwide no.1 bestsellers The World of Downton Abbey and its follow-up, The Chronicles of Downton Abbey, Jessica is the niece of the hit series' creator, Julian Fellowes. Jessica started as a journalist at the Mail on Sunday, going on to be the Deputy Editor of Country Life magazine, before deciding to focus on books. She has also co-written The Devil You Know: Looking Out for the Psycho in Your Life, with forensic psychologist Kerry Daynes, and Build A Business From Your Kitchen Table, ghostwritten for the founders of notonthehighstreet.com, Sophie Cornish and Holly Tucker. Her first book was Mud & the City: Dos and Don'ts for Townies in the Country.
Jessica also writes for The Daily Telegraph, Sunday Times Style, The Lady, Psychologies and The Times. In demand as a speaker, Jessica talks at literary festivals from Scarborough to Cheltenham and appears on numerous radio and TV programmes from BBC Breakfast to BBC4's 'Never Mind the Full Stops' via Radio 5 Live. She was also the regular paper reviewer for Nick Ferrari's LBC Breakfast Show for two years.
Recently, Jessica has also been doing extensive talks in the USA, focusing on Downton Abbey and the historical context of the show.
Jessica's work for the Downton Abbey books means she has done in-depth research into the social history of the early 20th century, particularly the changes that women were experiencing then, as well as looking at the correlation between the great leaps in technology that were happening then and how similar it feels today.
Jessica was brought up in London, with long summer holidays in the wilds of Kerry, Ireland. She now lives in Oxfordshire and Notting Hill with her family.