In 1982, my husband's work as a Harness Maker, brought us to Shropshire with our two children. Once in Shropshire I began to write in earnest whilst doing a variety of day jobs. These included guiding school parties around Acton Scott Farm Museum, and later, dishing out brochures to tourists at Ludlow Information Centre. During the eighties, I began publishing articles for magazines such as The countryman, usually with a local content. I also taught Writing Fiction, in Ludlow Adult Education for a spell, during the late nineties.
In 1999, I was awarded a bursary from West Midlands Arts, which encouraged me to give up work, and write full time. My short fiction has been published widely over the past twelve years, in literary magazines and anthologies, both in the UK and Canada. Stories have also been broadcast on BBC Radio 4. I have just received a 'Writers of the Year' award for a short story, The gingerbread wife.
My debut novel, The Henry game was recently published on July 4th, 2002, by Transworld as a Corgi Paperback for Young Adults. The story of three girls who accidentally summon up the spirit of Henry VIII, is a dark comedy which also draws on a lifelong interest in astrology and the occult. The sequel, due to be published summer 2003, is partly set in Shropshire, centring around the Ludlow area.
Inspired by people and ideas rather than landscape, my fiction is set against a wide variety of backgrounds, rural, urban and international. However, much of the short fiction does reveal an underlying theme of rural isolation. Especially in early stories such as Spoiling the view and The dream catcher, both published in Metropolitan magazine. Stories may often have urban backdrops, yet ironically, rural Shropshire continues to provide the tranquility and the space necessary for creativity.
