Helen Simonson is an English author who has made her home in the United States. Her debut novel, Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, became a NY Times bestseller, selling over a million copies and being published in twenty-one countries. Her second novel, The Summer Before The War, also achieved NY Times and international bestseller status. Her newest novel is The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club.

Born and raised in England, Helen spent her teenage years in a small village in East Sussex. She is a dual UK/USA citizen and a graduate of the London School of Economics with an MFA from Stony Brook Southampton. Married with two sons, she currently resides in Brooklyn, NY.

Her vision of 'home' is tied to East Sussex, with its sleepy villages and medieval smuggling towns. As a young woman, she moved to London for college and then to America. Despite her move, she retains a longing for England that influences her writing, exploring themes of home and the urge to leave.

She began her career in advertising and turned to fiction writing while at home with her young children, taking a "Beginner Fiction" class at New York's 92nd Street Y.