Catherine Burns was born and raised in Manchester, studied at Trinity College Cambridge and then worked as a bond trader in the City of London for six years.

Following a course at The Moscow Film institute, Catherine lectured in Film and Television Studies at Salford University.

Raised on gothic literature such as Wilkie Collins and Edgar Allan Poe, Catherine soon found a love for the dark and sinister side to stories. The Visitors is Catherine's debut novel.

The Moth is an acclaimed not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the art and craft of storytelling. Since its launch in 1997, The Moth has presented thousands of stories, told live and without notes, to standing-room-only crowds worldwide.

Moth shows are renowned for the great range of human experience they showcase. The Moth: 50 True Stories - the Moth's first story collection was an international bestseller. They run story slams across the US, Britain, Ireland and Australia.