K. A. S. Quinn was born and raised in California and studied History and English at Vassar College. For ten years she was the publisher of the Spectator. She has written for The Times, Telegraph, Independent and Wall Street Journal, as well as appearing on Any Questions, A Good Read, Famous Lives and Broadcasting House for the BBC. She is married to Stephen Quinn, the publishing director of Vogue. They live in London and have two small boys. She still reads children's books in bed, after lights out, with a torch.