Bel’s first job was working for the magazine ‘NOVA’, first as an Assistant to the Editor, then a feature writer and then contributing editor. After that she had a contract with the ‘Telegraph Magazine’, contributed to the ‘Sunday Times’ and the ‘Guardian’ amongst others and was a regular with the ‘New Statesman’. Bel went on to write columns in various publications, such as the ‘Sunday Times’, ‘Cosmopolitan’, the ‘Listener’ and the ‘Daily Mirror’.

In 1974 her first son Daniel was born, in 1975 her second son Tom was stillborn, and in 1980 Kitty was born. At that time Bel began another career as a broadcaster, and also began to write fiction, starting with ‘The Windsurf Boy’ and then the first ‘Kitty’ book, ‘I Don’t Want To’. She also made many series for Channel 4, BBC2 and Radio 4, including the award-winning ‘Devout Sceptics’. In 2005 Bel began writing a weekly advice column for The ‘Times’, and in 2007 moved to ‘The Daily Mail’ with the same column.

Bel is the author of six novels and twenty five books for children and young people, including the fabulous ‘Bonnie’ the dog series and most recently her moving and uplifting memoir ‘Small Dogs Can Save Your Life.’

In September 2007 Bel married the photographer Robin Allison-Smith. They live in Bath with a Maltese called Bonnie. They write travel pieces together and have recently set up a company ‘Moon Media’ which offers photography and words. She is also a Fellow of UCL and hold honorary degrees from Bath University and Liverpool John Moores.

She is an accomplished public speaker, known for her inspirational and motivational tone, and has chaired many events for charities and other organisations, including the then Women’s Department of the Cabinet under Baroness Jay.

The inspiring and motivational Bel Mooney is one of Britain’s most successful journalists, has written for nearly every national newspaper and many magazines as well as branching into fiction writing.