I first realised I had a desire to write whilst I was studying my A-level in English Literature. I fell passionately in love with the poetry of Emily Bronte and wrote my own poem that my (then) tutor wanted to submit to a poetry competition in The Guardian, which was being judged by Ted Hughes. That was 1987. To this day, I still don’t know if she did, but I can still recite the poem by heart.

That same year, I also discovered one of my major passions in life – fantasy fiction – when I was given The Mists of Avalon by Marion Bradley as a Christmas gift and read the whole thing within the space of a week. I had seen it in a bookshop in Leeds station and was instantly attracted to the cover image. It looked mysterious plus it was marketed as feminist fiction and, as an inquisitive 17 year old, this was an attraction in itself. It was the first book I’d ever actually read by choice for pleasure as opposed to reading curriculum texts that were forced upon me at school, and it had a major impact on my life.

That book led me to a lifelong interest in Arthurian Legend (to the point of almost embarking upon a PhD in Arthurian Literature!), to becoming immersed in countless fantasy series’, sometimes to the detriment of other literary works. It also nurtured my interest in wicca, ancient history and archaeology, which together have taken me on some interesting physical and spiritual journeys throughout the course of my life. But, most importantly, it was the reason I became a reading fanatic and reading has always reinforced my desire to write.

After leaving University in 1992, with a degree in English Literature & Psychology, I moved to London and began working in a bookstore and over the course of the next 10 years I lost my way a little; my social life took over and the writing fell by the wayside. I don’t remember what broke the camel’s back but, in 2002, I decided that I’d had enough and, after a period of soul searching, applied for a place on an MA Creative Writing course in Manchester, relocating back up north.

I currently have a number of projects on the go – a fantasy novel, a piece of speculative fiction and an autobiographical piece. I don’t know when any of them will be complete – my full time job keeps me more than busy – but, in the meantime, I’ve created this website to try and keep my finger on the creative button. It’s a site where I can blog about my own journey as a writer, the works of others (in particular sci-fi and fantasy media) and generally have my voice and ideas heard.

I currently live with my gorgeous husband (he used to be a clown, you know!) and two mental bombay cats. I have a pretty good life…