Biography

Biography

I was born in Yeovil but lived in Wakefield, West Yorkshire for most of my childhood. I left home to study Film at the University of Kent and spent a couple of years living happily by the sea in Whitstable, following this I moved to London and worked as a research and information officer at the British Film Institute for thirteen years! You see a lot of films in thirteen years and I think this has influenced the way I write. It has also given me a  methodical approach to research, I often spend hours checking things out and making new connections. Whilst at the BFI, I worked on numerous factual publications including study guides and the BFI Film & TV Handbook. I left in 2004 to move to Brighton and raise a family.

In 2007, just after the birth of my second son, I took the certificate of creative writing at Sussex University to give me something to do that wasn’t associated with housework or childcare. Most of STARLINGS was written during the course. I went on to take the MA in Creative Writing and Authorship (when it still existed!) and graduated with a distinction don’t you know.

I am a co-founder of the Rattle Tales short story co-operative, for more information on them check the Rattle Tales page or read this article on Thresholds Short Story Forum. 

In 2014 we established The Brighton Prize, Brighton’s only short story prize. It’s got a great cash prize fund so you’d be mad not to enter.

I have a special interest in writing for performance and my stories have been read at many events but my career highlight so afr was having a story performed at Latitude Festival for Word Theatre by Game of Thrones actor Gethin Anthony and Diana Vickers.

My short story collection, Fifteen Minutes was published by Unbound in 2017. It is themed around the influence of fame in every day life. Each story features someone famous but they are not the important character. There is a story about Scarlett Johansson so I hope she sues me like she did Gregoire Delacourt and then I will sell loads of copies.  I still don’t have an agent, so if you are one and think you can help me please do get in touch, though to be honest you’re going to have to convince me I need you rather than the other way around..

I would like to dedicate all my work to my husband Rob and my sons, Noah and Gillespie, who have put up with a lot in the last decade, not least an extremely messy house – you can’t be creative and clean, there isn’t time!