VALE
Rebecca Farnworth passed away in November 2014 after a battle with cancer, aged 49. She was the author of three novels, including Valentine and A Funny Thing About Love. She, however, received most attention for the bestselling books she wrote for British glamour model Katie Price, including novels Angel, Crystal and The Comeback Girl and her many autobiographies. Price openly praised her ghostwriter, saying: "You've definitely got to have a talent to sit there and write the book. I mean she's amazing at it. So, I come up with the plot, and then we go through each chapter together. She fills out the bits. She's just amazing how she does it. She really is good." The Brighton-based writer also worked as a radio producer and print journalist.
Irish author Anita Notaro died in November 2014 after she was diagnosed with front-temporal dementia three years earlier. The author of six novels also was a former RTE television director. A conversation with author Patricia Scanlan encouraged her to abandon her TV career and take up writing. Her debut, Back After the Break, was published in 2003 and was set in the world of television. Notaro's final book, A Moment Like This, was published in 2012, and it included a moving tribute from husband Gerry explaining why this would be her final book.
The inquest into the 2009 death of bestselling chick lit author Zoe Barnes has found she died of a prescription drug overdose while holidaying on the Isle of Man. According to Britain's Daily Express, Susan Morgan, who wrote about 45 novels under the pen names of Zoe Barnes and Sue Dyson, was found dead in her hotel room in October. The inquest was told the English author had auto-immune disorders which led to depression. She was 52. A spokesman from her publisher Piatkus said: "She was one of the pioneers of chick lit back in the 90s and has been entertaining her female fans ever since. All her stories were honest and believable, with flawed but honourable heroines any woman would want to call their friend. She will be sorely missed by everyone who has had the pleasure to work with her throughout her career as a commercial women's fiction novelist." Her books included Bumps, Just Married and Split Ends. Her last book Return to Sender was published earlier in 2009.
