Patricia Miles
, 1930 - 2015
Patricia Miles was born in Bolton, Greater Manchester, on September 8th, 1930. Her father was a grocer. She aspired to be an author from a young age, and won a scholarship to Somerville College at Oxford, where she studied ancient history and classical languages. She married Francis Miles in 1953 and they had three children. The family settled in Hertfordshire, where Miles taught English and French, and later, creative writing. Her first novel, Nobody’s Child, was published in 1975, followed by If I Survive (1976), The Gods in Winter (1978) and A Disturbing Influence (1979), The Mind Pirates (1983), Sweet Peril (1987) and Beloved Enemy (1987). Her last completed work, written with Jill Williams, was An Uncommon Criminal, a story of the life of the suffragette Lady Constance Lytton. Her work draws upon both the places and people in her life.
The Gods in Winter was republished in 2005 thanks to the efforts of young adult fantasy writer Tamora Pierce, who first read the novel whilst working at the literary agency Harold Ober Associates in the early 1980s. Pierce never forgot the story, but was unable to source a copy for many decades. Finally, her own agent at Ober tracked down the book for her, and arranged for Front Street to republish the text.
Miles passed away in 2015, after suffering dementia for a number of years.
Source:
Miles’ obiturary (accessed: February 4, 2018).
Bio prepared by Miriam Riverlea, University of New England, mriverlea@gmail.com
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