Mo Foster (author)

Mo Foster (born 1938, London) is a British novelist, playwright and poet. She is best known for her debut novel, "A Blues for Shindig", published in 2006. "Shindig" is a gritty crime novel based in 1950s Soho. Foster has said that parts of the novel are autobiographical, as she spent her early teens in the streets of edgy Soho, rubbing elbows with William Burroughs and Colin MacInnes.

Inspired by MacInnes’ real life depiction of London in his "City of Spades", Foster set out to write a short story that conveyed the same era from the perspective of a strong woman. She wrote and rewrote the story of Shindig over twenty years. During this time, she taught creative writing, ran writer’s groups, and wrote plays. Foster won a short play competition with "Talk Radio". She also started a women’s cabaret group with her friends called SHREW and she edited a magazine called "Wimmin’s Own". In addition, Foster wrote and performed “Menopausal Punk” poetry onstage with local bands.

Foster recently suffered a stroke that prompted her to finish the manuscript for "Shindig" and send it out to publishers. PaperBooks books signed her.

Her writing has been compared to Jake Arnott and Colin MacInnes.

Foster has completed her second novel, "Wordsfly", which is set in the 1990s. She is currently working on her third novel. Foster lives in Southampton, England.