I was born in North London – the setting of my first two books – but have lived in Sheffield now for more than thirty years, and taught in several Sheffield schools.
I always wanted to write. From the age of about seven I did write – mostly inspired by Famous Five books – and I can’t claim that no one encouraged me, because they did, teachers at school and people in writing groups. But having children, and the need to work for proper money, and my natural laziness, got in the way of literary progress and it was only when I retired from teaching that I began to organise myself into writing every day – or at least on sufficient consecutive days so that I can remember where I am up to in the story.
Then there comes the question: What to do with this finished article that looks like a full-length novel? Put in a box in the loft with all the short stories and false starts and half-finished, going-nowhere attempts, and the children’s stories, and the finished but no-good pieces? Or gird the loins and let other people read it? Even, let other people pay good money to read it?
So Who Your Friends Are was published, first with the help of Anne Grange, who knows her way round a computer, and recently republished by Leaping Boy Publications, who had taken me up and brought out the second and third novels.
My fourth novel is finished – except for all the polishing and title-deciding and cover-designing and blurb-writing that has to happen – and should be out in 2019.
Thank you to everyone who has read my books – I would love to hear from you, whatever you have to say, good or bad, and you can contact me through the Contact Me page on this website.
