I was born in North London, the third daughter in a family of six children; four girls and two boys.

 

Educated at the local grammar school, I  started work for an international oil company, firstly as a clerk and later as a personnel secretary. It was there that i qualified as a competent shorthand typist, a skill that has proved invaluable in my writing career.

 

Always a keen reader of historical romance novels, i decided to try my hand at writing a Regency novel during my youngest son's afternoon naps. What started as a lazy lunchtime indulgence, sandwich in one hand, notepad in the other, soon developed into a highly enjoyable part-time occupation. I was delighted when my first work was accepted for publication in the United States in 1986.  A Gentleman's Mistress remains a favourite work.  Following a good response from readers, a subsequent Regency novel was commissioned by Zebra books and Beloved Avenger appeared in print the following year.

 

Throughout my sons' school years, whilst busy with family commitments, i took a break from writing; when my two boys were into late teens, I resumed writing historical romances, and in 1999 Mr. Trelawneys Proposal was published by Mills & Boon, the first novel in the Bad Boys quartet.

 

I find an attraction of writing historical fiction is the necessary research into the chosen era. The criminal underworld and poverty of the early 19th century are discovered to have thrived alongside the culture and extravagance for which this elegant period is more readily remembered. Whenever possible, i like to weave a bit of both worlds into the fabric of my books.

 

I now live in a village in Suffolk,  and when not at my laptop creating a hunky hero and  feisty heroine to spark against  one another, i like to relaxe by browsing junk shops for curios and antiques, or by visiting the local Tandoori for a prawn dansak and a glass or two of red wine.

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FUN FACTS

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STARSIGN :

Pisces

 

NATIONALITY :

English

 

FAVOURITE FILMS :

Last Of The Mohicans

 

FAVOURITE BOOKS :

Pride And Predjudice by Jane Austen

Harriet Wilson's memoirs by Harriet Wilson

Devil's Cub by Georgette Heyer

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Jamaica Inn by Daphne Demaurier

 

FAVOURITE SONGS :

Bittersweet Symphony, by The Verve

 

 

AUTHOR'S TIP :

Don't give up at your first rejection slip or even your tenth;

many established authors have a pile of early abondond attempts.