Diney Costeloe is a British author of romantic novels who writes under two names (her alias Diney Delancey). She is the daughter of a London publisher who ran the independent firm of Herbert Jenkins from 1937 to 1964. As the writer says, she has been surrounded by books all her life.
Encouraged by her father, she has always written stories and poems. When she left school she trained as a primary school teacher and taught in the East End of London and Somerset. Dina Costeloe started to write short stories and articles, many of which were published in magazines, and newspapers and read on the radio.
Her first book was a romance, written as an entry for the BBC Woman's Hour Romantic novelist competition in about 1980.
"It didn't win, but as it was short-listed I sent it off to Robert Hale, and to my amazement and delight, they accepted it and it was published under the name of Diney Delancey (well it sounds like a romantic novelist doesn't it?)," recalls the writer.
The debut book Slopes of Love was published in 1981. At the moment Diney Costeloe has written more than 20 romantic and historical novels under both names. Her most recent book 'The Girl Who Dared to Dream' was released in October 2022.
Diney Costeloe has three children and seven grandchildren, so she is always busy with the family, and she and her husband share their time between Somerset and West Cork.
Photo credit: www.dineycosteloe.co.uk