Stories have immense power. They can change the way you think about life, let you escape from the world for a while, keep you up late at night… I love books! So do children. Stories are magical. Stories can inspire and excite. Stories can help children make sense of the…
When I was a lawyer (in a past life, see here), I wanted to be a judge. I have a strong sense of fairness and enjoy listening to others. I have also always loved stories and for me a big part of being a lawyer was understanding and then communicating…
A week in the sun can do a lot to a person. You can either get incredibly bored, or if you have a good book and a comfortable spot in the shade you can enjoy yourself. For me, last week involved the latter, I was flying home from England and…
When I was reading English at university, I had a pinboard above my desk. Aside from the odd postcard, I used it to display my favourite literary quotes, poems and stories. Fast-forward to last weekend and I was searching through some boxes for something – boxes that I haven’t peeked…
Readers often ask me: is the character you’ve written in this story / novel / flash fiction really, actually you? I like to take the question as a compliment – after all, it’s readers believing in my character so convincingly that they find it hard to believe that character isn’t…
Over the last few years, I’ve found myself asking this question more and more, because of where I live and why. In his early twenties, my Australian husband went on a working-holiday adventure to England, which is where we met. I was the souvenir he brought back, he he! I…
Last weekend, it was my birthday. It was a special birthday too, and I was so very lucky that my entire day was… perfect! Not only did family and friends join in to celebrate my special day, but I got to spend hours with bookish people whom I treasure. And…
