Sarah Mason was born in 1971 and grew up near the sea in Cornwall, England. She obtained a degree in Maths from the University of Bristol. At the age of 25, she began importing gourmet popcorn from the USA and selling it to everyone from Sainsbury's to Virgin cinemas. She soon became a millionaire and was running a company with a seven-figure turnover.

When she married, she sold the business and decided to take a few months off to decide what she wanted to do next. During this time, she started writing. She lives in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, with her husband, two children, and a West Highland Terrier.