Madeleine Sophie Townley (born 12 December 1969), known by her pen name Sophie Kinsella, is an English author. The first two novels in her best-selling Shopaholic series, The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic and Shopaholic Abroad, were adapted into the film Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009). Her books have sold over 40 million copies in more than 60 countries, and been translated into over 40 languages.
Kinsella was born on 12 December 1969, the eldest daughter of David R. and Patricia B. (née Kinsella) Townley. The eldest sister of fellow writers Gemma and Abigail Townley, she was educated at Putney High School, St Mary's School near Shaftesbury, Sherborne School for Girls, and New College, Oxford, where she initially studied Music, but after a year switched to Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE). She worked as a financial journalist (including for Pensions World) before turning to fiction.