Born in Jersey, Channel Islands, Jenny Lecoat's parents were raised under German Occupation, and both families were involved in resistance activity. Lecoat moved to England aged 18, where following a drama degree, she spent a decade on the alternative comedy circuit as a feminist stand-up. She was nominated for the prestigious Perrier Award in 1986. Jenny also wrote for newspapers and women's magazines and presented TV and radio shows, before focusing on screenwriting from sitcom to sketch shows. The Girl from the Channel Islands (initially published as The Viennese Girl) was her first novel and was a New York Times bestseller.