Storyteller, dreamer of dreams, potential Oscar nominee and reluctant occasional visitor to the real world.
Background
Information
A Londoner and adoptive Scot from Edinburgh, I now live in France with my journalist husband and the host of characters who people my fiction.
France is a rich source of inspiration for my writing. THE ANGELS OF THE JARDIN MASSEY, available on Amazon, is set in a real public garden in Tarbes, SW France. The reconstructed medieval cloister at its heart prompted this women's contemporary novel with its fantasy, time slip element woven throughout.
A sense of place is important to me both as a fiction writer and as a reader. A serial property developer, my soon to be published suspense novel, GIFT OF SPARROWS set in a rundown 18th century house in Southern France, was inspired by the money-pit house it took us seven years to renovate before we waved the white flag and moved on.
Bringing up three sons while juggling a demanding job as a college lecturer has given rich insight into family life and the issues involved in parenting and motherhood. I'm also a breast cancer survivor and this experience forms one of the themes of THE ANGELS OF THE JARDIN MASSEY.
And finally I'm a bit of a drama queen (my husband would concur here!) Amateur acting roles have ranged from Joy Gresham in Shadowlands to Everyman in the medieval mystery play of that name. Involvement in theatre has given me an ear for authentic dialogue. I love reading out loud, whether test running my own dialogue or reading stories to my grandchildren.
Birth Place
Ilford, England
Accomplishments
M.Litt. in Creative Writing. University of St Andrews
Bachelor of Education (English & French) University of Sheffield
Semi-finalist 2009 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award