I’m allergic to mussels, oysters and the like and my grandmother wanted me to be a BBC newsreader when I grew up. Clearly this did not come to pass.
I was born in Guildford and have lived in Bedfordshire, Birmingham, South Wales and Berkshire (not necessarily in that order). I have a BA in English & History from the University of Birmingham, an MA in Victorian Literature & Culture from the University of Reading and an MA in Creative Writing from Royal Holloway, University of London.
Following the bad poems and short stories of the platforms and flares days of my teens and the even bleaker stuff of the leg warmers and shoulder pad days of the ’80s, my collections, Eleven Rooms, Interference Effects, Yield, and The Adjustments have been published by Two Rivers Press, and my novels, The Perfect Affair and The Moment and my FREE short-story, Falling for Gatsby are published by Quercus. The Last Day was published by The Dome Press, The Significant Others of Odie May came out with Matador, and What We Thought We Knew from Pegasus.
Having formerly been the Clerk of The Worshipful Company of Management Consultants and worked for an HR research forum in London, I now teach Creative Writing and run Fresh Eyes, an editorial and critiquing service. I was a regular Radio Reads contributor on BBC Radio Berkshire and now feature on their Friday book slot. I was also Chairman of Reading Writers and am currently a member of the Alliance of Independent Authors, the Romantic Novelists’ Association, The Poetry Society, The Poetry Book Society, The Society of Authors, and The Society of Women Writers and Journalists, where I am Poetry Consultant to the Council. I am also poetry book Reviews Co-ordinator for Two Rivers Press, a Voluntary Archivist for the Special Collections department at the University of Reading and read with local school children for the charity ABC to Read.
I am represented by Broo Doherty at DHH Literary Agency.