Maria McCarthy

Maria McCarthy is a lifestyle journalist with particular interest in health, food and motoring. She has written for Cosmopolitan, Company, Prima, Red, The Sunday Express and many other publications. She is a member of The Guild of Motoring Writers and the author of The Girls' Guide to Losing Your L Plates – how to pass your driving test published by Simon and Schuster and the upcoming The Girls' Car Handbook. For extracts and testimonials about her work please check out her website

Maria provides a fresh, female-friendly approach to motoring journalism. Rather than focusing on expensive high-performance cars that have little relevance to most women's everyday lives, Maria offers insider information on how to haggle at the car dealership and come out on top, find a garage you can trust and stay sane on the school run. She's an experienced and media-friendly commentator, having appeared on BBC Breakfast and more than 100 radio interviews. Maria also teaches freelance journalism and path to publication courses at Bristol University and has lectured at a number of literary festivals including Ilkley, Daphne du Maurier and Warwick Words.