She worked for the BBC and the UNIC, before she started writing professionally, mainly children's books and thrillers. For her books she received the Guardian Award (1969) and the Edgar Allan Poe Award (1972).
Many of her most popular books, including the Wolves Chronicles
Her series of children's books about Arabel and Mortimer
Her many novels for adults include several that continue or complement novels by Jane Austen. These include Mansfield Revisited
Aiken was a lifelong fan of ghost stories. Her favourite authors were M. R. James, Fitz James O'Brien and Nugent Barker. She set her adult supernatural novel The Haunting of Lamb House
Joan Aiken's Books on Amazon: Joan Aiken
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_Aiken