A Little More About Me…
I was lucky enough to grow up in Derbyshire, on the edge of the Peak District, surrounded by greenery. My childhood home was an old miner’s cottage surrounded by moorland - perfect for reading Wuthering Heights! The village I grew up in was once home to D.H. Lawrence and his short story ‘A Wintry Peacock’ is reputed to have been based there.
I attended local schools in the market town of Wirksworth and later, went on to live and study in Belper - the location of my first book.
Upon starting school, I was frequently told I was ‘good at reading’ but given that my books were limited to the adventures of ‘Peter and Jane’ and ‘Billy Blue Hat’ I didn’t particularly care for it. It wasn’t until my Grandmother gifted me an old, green book that I realised the true magic of reading. I remember sitting on my bed and opening the cover. I was surprised to find there were no pictures inside and thought it must be a book for grown-ups. I read the first chapter and was hooked. The book was The Enchanted Wood by Enid Blyton and it started a life-long love of fantasy stories. From there, my mother helped me join the library and I devoured every book I could get my hands on. I read widely but always returned to fantasy. I was drawn by the magical worlds and mysterious characters and of course, by the possibility that magic could be real!
I started writing stories from a young age, mainly fantasy but with some poetry and sci-fi thrown in too. I took a creative writing course at university and have been writing ever since. I generally have two or three stories on the go at any one time and would say my biggest challenge is finishing one story before diving into another.
In my day to day work, I am based at a community disability service provider. Before this I trained and worked as a teacher, teaching in both the UK and then internationally.
In my spare time I also enjoy running, biking and open water swimming. I currently live in Christchurch, New Zealand which is a great location for outdoor sports. My immediate family is very important to me and consists of my husband, Adam and our two cats, Bella and Esme (named from one of my favourite young adult fantasy stories!).
