What is one lesser-known fact about your childhood?
When I was ten, I created a puppet theatre in my dad’s tool shed and wrote and acted stories to entertain my friends and family. Dad was very patient with a dozen children crammed into his precious carpentry space.
Which of your childhood dreams was the first to die?
Becoming a vet; I love animals but my chemistry and physics grades weren’t good enough.
What do you love the most about world-building?
The sense of freedom for the imagination to launch out and create something amazing, and developing the skills needed to make that vision seem real for readers of all ages.
At what age did you write your first book? Did it get published?
In childhood I was always writing stories for my family but the first published book, apart from magazine articles on health and science, was an analysis of research into Alzheimer’s Disease in 1993 sold internationally by the ‘Sunday Times’ bookshop.
What sparked the idea for your book, Travellers?
My sister’s triplets were born in the 90s and I wanted always to write a story for them, something they might read and like when they were older. ‘Travellers’ is a fantasy and sci-fi combination with two heroes, a boy and his sister, and of course, a dog. The Museum of Worlds in ‘Travellers’ gives me the chance to world-build on the grand scale.
As a teenager, what were you obsessed with?
Like others in the Sixties: music, books, going to Kensington Market to meet friends, walking, and animals. Our generation saw the birth of the Beatles and the Stones, the death of Kennedy and his brother, a Moon landing and the Vietnam war. It made us aware of the dark side even in an era of peace movements.
Are any of your stories inspired by a real-life incident or anecdote?
Yes, many; like other writers I carry a notebook and pen at all times. You never know what you might find on a walk/in a paper/magazine/ on the news/overheard on a bus etc.
My latest short story was inspired by a local news item about the discovery of a seventeenth century warship ‘Gloucester’ on the bed of the sea near Norfolk. It sank while carrying the future James II of England to be reunited with his wife in Leith, Scotland.
Do you ever get writer’s block? How do you overcome it?
Yes, often. The worst was when something really bad happened in my life and I 'dried up'. All I can say for the latter case is that it takes time and I did try each day, to sit down and put something - anything - on paper. I wrote short stories and poetry in that period rather than a novel. It's important to keep going, and keep the faith in you, your work and your goal. They say 'imposter syndrome' can cause a block or result from it. But I believe blocks are there to be dealt with; they're not symptoms of inspiration drying up, just rocks in the path. Keep hammering away. You can do it. Go for walks, do stuff you like, listen to music, dance, help someone. It's amazing how taking the focus away from the problem can make it lessen.
According to you, what is literary success?
My only criterion is producing something that readers like and want to read. To know whether you’re doing that is key, and feedback from readers is really valued.
What is one book you wish you could be the original author to?
Good question and very hard to choose among the ‘greats’ but I recall being really immersed in the world created by Paulo Coelho for ‘The Alchemist’. His hero’s journey is fabulous and fascinating, covering so many themes we all share.
What are some new things that you want to experiment with within your future books?
Science-as-magic, magic-as-science, kindness, survival in an urban environment. In the latest ‘Travellers’ book, a man and a boy from the highly sophisticated, advanced society in the Museum of Worlds find themselves dropped into Gloucester city in 2023, and have to find a way to live there
How do you spend “quality time” with yourself?
We have a large garden, which is great for ‘thinking-working’, meaning your body’s occupied with planting/weeding, leaving the mind free to roam around and play with ideas. We live in a Forest so ‘tree-bathing’ (going into the forest and listening to what’s around you), is another great way to relax. And live music is always accessible in our area, as are craft lessons in wild food gathering, willow-weaving etc.
What are your hobbies apart from writing?
Definitely the garden; my local conservation group does ‘mini-conservation’ projects which cover the small stuff like litter-picking, making runways for small mammals, and ‘seeds for bees.’ I love cooking although my husband’s dairy-allergic so it’s a bit of a challenge. I’ve been studying Tai Chi and Qui Gong lately, matching that to music, and Yoga for flexibility.
What are you working on at the moment? What is it about?
A YA novel with a hero who discovers she has the ‘Dragon Gene’ which means that in a certain part of the world, she can summon and control dragons. The discovery also means her mother is not her birth mother, and she persuades her best friend to help her embark on a search for the truth. Meanwhile, her real family need her gift to help them perform a dangerous task, and they come for her. She can’t face them, skips school and goes on the run.
How do you usually promote your books? What do you think of AllAuthor and would you recommend it to your other author friends?
Mainly by email, family and friend networks, social media, book fairs at writers’ conferences, local radio and where possible, readings in schools. I’ve been introduced to AllAuthor and its offerings for writers by a friend who has self-published a number of books, and would recommend it for new authors especially. It’s important to a first-time author to find support in writers’ groups, web networks and the like. What AllAuthors offers is a chance to get to know an international community, learn from their example and feel supported by an organisation with a lot of helpful ideas.
