As a child I loved comics. I bought all the comics I could afford, and borrowed those I could not buy. Very quickly I graduated to reading fiction. I loved my world of make belief. I had to do well in school not to get into trouble with my parents. I graduated with a B.A.(hons) in History and kept on reading my novels. Of the many genres that I read, I love historical fiction best. When I migrated to Australia, I started to do some historical research on my new homeland. The research notes mounted, and the idea took hold that I should try to write a compelling historical novel that would both entertain and educate the readers—both Australian and foreign—that they may learn how Australia began as a penal colony. It didn't occur to me that it might not be easy to get published, but after 30 years—the time it took for my book to reach a publishable standard—I found out the hard way. But I didn't allow the rejections to stop me, not after I had invested so much time and energy and love on my novel. Perseverance works. My novel, "A Family of Strangers" was published on 13 December 2006 by ThomsonGale Five Star imprint.