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I was born in the small mining town of Felling in north-east England. My grandfather was a miner and despite being a very quiet, unassuming man, he was quite a character and keeps popping up in my books, as do many of the people I knew as a child. I drew and painted from a very early age and wrote my first short story when I was eight, which was when I decided that I wanted to be a writer, little thinking that this passionate dream would take half a century to realise. My working life was spent mainly in a hospital, first as a medical secretary and then later as an executive secretary looking after the administration side of the Northern Region Department of Psychiatry based in Newcastle upon Tyne. I loved my hospital work. It was a great background for a writer – so many different sides of life to absorb – and so many interesting characters to draw on. I swapped hospital life in a busy city for a very different country life in a two hundred year old farmhouse in the Hautes Pyrénées when my photographer husband, Brian, and I decided to take early retirement. We have now enjoyed prime quality time together in our mini-paradise for thirteen years. I paint when the mood takes me, manufacture herbal ointments and herbal infusions, read, listen to music, do a bit of relaxing Tai Chi, enjoy the countryside and – of course – write.
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What kind of background do I prefer? I like to base my stories in Tyneside or in Scotland, though my characters often find themselves travelling to far off lands, such as Ecuador, Kenya, Africa, Patagonia or Sri Lanka, where they find adventure, mystery, suspense and, of course, love. I have travelled to these places in recent years and always find them inspirational. Where do I get my inspiration from? Anywhere and everywhere. Sometimes, whole stories simply slot themselves into my brain and I see them like watching a video. All I have to do is put words to the action. How do I plan my working day? This varies, but in general, I start writing in the afternoon and go on until ten or eleven in the evening. I can write all day long if necessary, but have forced myself to slow down to avoid burnout. What are the essential ingredients for my books? I like to have a variety of things happening, punctuated with lots of action, a good dose of humour (I hate a day that goes by that doesn’t have a good belly laugh in it), drama and mystery and, of course romance. Who are my favourite authors? There are several, but I think at the top of my list you will find Charles Dickens, Charlotte Bronte, Daphne Du Maurier and Catherine Cookson.
Don’t give up. Nothing great was ever accomplished without application and enthusiasm. Be your own genuine critic and study the market that best suits your type of work. Be flexible, not rigid, in your choice of genre or style. But most of all, enjoy what you do.
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