Kerry Hadley-Pryce was born in Wordsley, in the West Midlands. Amongst other occupations, she worked nights in a Wolverhampton petrol station before studying degrees in English Language and Psychology. She became a secondary school teacher, teaching English and creative writing in the south west for several years before returning to her native Midlands. She wrote The Black Country whilst studying for an MA in Creative Writing at the Manchester Writing School at MMU, for which she gained a distinction and for which she was awarded the Michael Schmidt Prize for outstanding achievement 2013-1014. She lives in the Black Country.