Dame Catherine Ann Cookson was a British writer. It has been estimated that, as of 2003, over 100 million copies of her books have been sold worldwide while she retained a relatively low profile in the world of celebrity writers. Her books were inspired by her deprived youth in South Shields, North East England, the setting for her novels. With 104 titles written in her own name or two other pen names, she is one of the most prolific British novelists.