After reading History at Oxford University and four years on local newspapers ,Tessa set her sites on womens' magazines.In 1987 she was in at the launch of Best, the million-plus selling women’s weekly magazine, before leaving to be assistant editor on Heritage magazine.When motherhood beckoned she spent 10 years freelancing for several national magazines, including Woman’s Journal, Homes & Gardens and Ideal Home and wrote regularly on interiors for the Daily Telegraph. She also won a major European-wide screenwriting competition and had her screenplay optioned by a production company. In July 2010 Tessa signed a three-book deal with a US publisher and her first novel, The Anatomist's Apprentice.