"Two people locked in a small space together – a carriage, a marriage – see something immense and terrific happen. They will not see the same thing."

Ashley Hay

Ashley Hay was born in 1971 and has won several awards for her short stories — both in Australia and the UK. She has worked for The Independent Monthly, The University of London, and The Bulletin. She first came to Lord Byron through her interest in leeches, vampires, hippopotami, mysterious women and the hair-powder-tax-evasion scandal of the early 1800s. Ashley lives in Sydney and The Secret is her first book.

Ashley's second book, Gum, will be published by Duffy and Snellgrove in October 2002.