June Tate was born in Southampton to a seafaring family before the Second World War. She trained as a hairdresser and spent several years working on cruise ships including the Queen Mary and then the Mauritania, meeting Hollywood actors and VIPs on her travels. After her marriage she lived in Sussex and Hampshire before moving to Estoril in Portugal. Now a widow, she has returned to Sussex and has two adult daughters. She was the chair of the West Sussex Writers for three years.
