Tamara McKinley

{{Short description|Australian author}}

{{Use Australian English|date=August 2012}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2022}}

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| name = Tamara McKinley

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| pseudonym = Ellie Dean (Cliffehaven series)

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| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1948}}

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| language = English

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| citizenship = British-Australian

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| website = {{URL|http://www.tamaramckinley.co.uk}}

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Tamara McKinley (born 1948) is a British-based Australian author, living in the south of England. She also wrote as Ellie Dean.

She was born in Launceston, Tasmania in 1948, but was raised in Devonport until the age of ten, when she accompanied her English grandmother (who had adopted her at age six) to the United Kingdom where she has been based ever since. Although based in Britain, she visits Australia every year to research her novels which are all set there.[http://www.austlit.edu.au/run?ex=ShowAgent&agentId=A%28l- McKinley, Tamara], AustLit: The Australian Literature Resource, 22 October 2009.

Her novels to date are published in at least 15 different languages.{{cn|date=April 2022}}

As Ellie Dean, she has also written the Cliffehaven series which has sold more than a million copies.{{Cite web|last=Hewitt|first=Phil|date=2021-03-12|title=Tributes as Eastbourne writer Tamara McKinley retires|url=https://www.eastbourneherald.co.uk/arts-and-culture/books/tributes-as-eastbourne-writer-tamara-mckinley-retires-3161312|access-date=2021-10-01|website=Eastbourne Herald|language=en}}

Her home is in Jevington, East Sussex where she lived with her husband, Geoffrey Oliver "Ollie" Carter until his death in December 2020.{{Cite web|last=Barlow|first=Aidan|date=2021-01-05|title=Best-selling author's tribute to 'heroic' husband who died of cancer|url=https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/18986549.eastbourne-author-tamara-mckinley-tribute-husband/|access-date=2021-10-01|website=The Argus|location=Melbourne|language=en}}

In March 2021 she announced her retirement from writing.