Dilly Court


Dilly Court is an English author of popular historical fiction and family saga novels also writing under the pseudonym of Lily Baxter. She published her first book when she was 65 and, as of 2023, her novels have sold more than four million copies.

Early life

Court grew up in northeast London, leaving school when she was 16 to work as a secretary at broadcaster Associated-Rediffusion. She began her career in television, writing scripts for commercials. Working in the advertising department, she was able to move into a copywriting position, which allowed her to exercise her love of writing.

Literary career

Court did not begin writing novels until 1997, and it took until 2005 and a string of rejections before one was accepted for publication: Mermaids Singing. As of 2020, she has published more than 30 novels, and had multiple titles on The [Sunday Times Bestseller List|The Sunday Times Bestseller List] including The Button Box, which reached #2 in 2017. In 2023, her novel Dolly's Dream reached #2 on The Booksellers Official Top 50 UK chart and #1 on their Mass Market Fiction chart.
Despite her impressive sales, her books have largely been ignored by critics. In 2020, Robbie Millen, literary editor for The Times, admitted that he hadn't previously heard of Court and that his paper had never reviewed any of her titles, nor had other major British newspapers.
Her latest book is Snow Angel set to be released on 12th September 2024.

Personal life

Court has been married twice and has two children., she resides in Dorset.

Selected works

Standalone novels

  • Mermaids Singing
  • Tilly True
  • The Best of Sisters
  • A Mother's Courage
  • The Constant Heart
  • A Mother's Promise
  • The Cockney Angel
  • A Mother's Wish
  • The Ragged Heiress
  • A Mother's Secret
  • The Cockney Sparrow
  • The Dollmaker's Daughters
  • Cinderella Sister
  • A Mother's Trust
  • The Lady's Maid
  • The Best of Daughters
  • The Workhouse Girl
  • The Beggar Maid
  • A Place Called Home
  • The Orphan's Dream
  • Ragged Rose
  • The Swan Maid
  • The Christmas Card
  • The Button Box
  • The Mistletoe Seller
  • A Loving Family
  • Nettie's Secret
  • Rag-and-Bone Christmas
  • The Reluctant Heiress
  • A Thimble for Christmas
  • The Lucky Penny
  • ''The Snow Angel''

    Series

The River Maid series

  • The River Maid
  • The Summer Maiden
  • ''The Christmas Rose''

    The Village Secrets series

  • The Christmas Wedding
  • The Country Bride
  • ''A Village Scandal''

    The Rockwood Chronicles

  • Fortune's Daughter
  • Winter Wedding
  • Runaway Widow
  • Sunday's Child
  • Snow Bride
  • ''Dolly's Dream''

    As Lily Baxter

  • Poppy's War
  • We'll Meet Again
  • Spitfire Girl
  • The Girls in Blue
  • The Shopkeeper's Daughter
  • ''In Love and War''