About Me

I write epic fantasy fiction about control, hierarchy and the resilience of women in pre-industrial worlds shaped by ideology and fear.

There are no dragons, elves or wizards in the world of Heldernesse, just identical female twins with supernatural qualities who the Ministry wants to eradicate.

I grew up in a South London council estate in the 60’s and 70’s where writing was not considered as a career choice. You went out and got a proper job. Story writing stopped once I’d sat my English Language exam in 1971.

But I was lucky to have parents who loved books and reading has always been a joy and a retreat when life was difficult.

On March 8th, International Women’s Day, 1999, I attended a creative writing taster morning at a Friends Meting House in Southampton. This was one year exactly since the sudden death of my husband. I wrote about catching the ferry to East Cowes the day before with my children to scatter their father’s ashes into the sea off the coast of the Isle of Wight.

Thanks to Mo Foster who ran that workshop and the WEA women’s writing group I subsequently joined. I started writing again – a quantity of dreadful poetry but gradually short pieces of writing which turned into stories.

When I began to write about other worlds, I’d found the place I wanted to be. I think fantasy fiction writing allows us to reflect on the real world and raises thoughts about how we treat each other.

Moving to Fishponds in Bristol in 2017 and reaching retirement age during Covid has given me space and time to write. A special mention to Al (Alison Powell) founder of WriteClub based in Bristol and gratitude to all who have read my work and given feedback in WriteClub workshops.

I would like to extend special thanks to Daisy Dobson, Natalie Lock and Frances Ridley for being readers, friends and making me believe in myself.