Catherine Olsen
Catherine Olsen was born in Brisbane, Australia. She lived in London for many years, where she specialised in writing profiles on well known personalities for national newspapers, magazines and international syndication. Her life changed completely when she went to interview the former President of The Seychelles, Sir James Mancham, and subsequently married him. He had been overthrown by a Marxist coup six weeks earlier and remained in England for the next 15 years, in enforced exile.When he was invited to return to his country and take part in an election, Catherine and their six year old son accompanied him. They arrived to find that they were surrounded by intense security. 7,000 people were waiting to greet them. Guns and guards became a way of life. Catherine was assigned a full time woman police officer from the Special force for the first two years, who went everywhere she went even if it meant climbing a mountain or going to the hairdresser or just to buy a pint of milk. Eight Alsatian dogs roamed the grounds of the residence in which they lived and, on the eve of the first election, a pontoon was being built into the sea by the ex-SAS men guarding the family. When Catherine asked what it was for, they replied: ‘To escape if you win.’
Her first novel, Songbird, had been published by Quartet before she left for the islands.