About
I have been writing stories ever since I can remember. I love how words make you feel; how they connect people to one another, how they inspire. My career to date has involved words in one fashion or another - from a broadcast journalist and radio newsreader, to a marketing manager, copywriter, and a media manager.
As the years have gone by, I've realised you don't have to knock out a literary masterpiece at your first attempt, and your words don't have to be perfect in every sentence. You have to love the process and the craft to create the magic. I've written a few novels and children's books (unpublished) and I'm currently writing a middle grade children's book based on an idea I had many years ago. I also love collecting ideas for future novels.
A few years ago, I signed up to do my first creative writing course. It was really nerve-wracking putting your ideas out there to strangers but everyone was so supportive! In 2025, I kept writing, kept showing up and kept dreaming of getting published. I also ditched a novel I'd been wrestling with and found hard to write, switched to children's book writing with this idea I'd had long ago, and in 2026 I'm loving writing it!
I'm Reading...
THEO OF GOLDEN
Allen Levi
This book is absolutely fantastic! Theo is an elderly man in the twilight of his years who's arrived in this lovely town called Golden and starts giving the portraits of people hung up in a local coffee shop back to their owners. Theo just wants to show others the kindness that he sees in the world despite his own personal trauma from the past. It's beautifully written and I don't really want to get to the end! The turn of phrase and the descriptive passages are heavenly. I only dream of writing a debut novel like this!
WHAT'S NEXT ON MY LIST?
I've just re-read The Secret History by Donna Tartt, I've rekindled my love for my kindle, and I've also powered my way through Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid and The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke. Some more on my TBR pile include The Correspondent by Virginia Evans, Bel Canto by Ann Patchett, Finding Grace by Loretta Rothschild and the classic that I still haven't read yet but really should have - Atonement by Ian McEwan. Admittedly, my TBR pile is absolutely massive but I don't care and it makes me happy. Transporting yourself into another world blows away all the cobwebs and takes us out from underneath our busy lives so my TBR list will always be endless!
It's summer and my tiny part of the world has finally welcomed the sunny days and the warm airless nights! There's no winter blanket wrapped around my house anymore, and with spring well and truly sprung, summer has taken residence and the world looks that bit better and brighter.
What do you read when the summer hits? Do you get in a few beach reads? Do you pack far too many books in your suitcase for the annual family holiday abroad? Do you love lazy mornings in your garden while ploughing through a classic that you've always been meaning to read?
It's an absolute luxury and a necessity for me to sit out in the garden as much I can in the summer and devour as many books as I can whether on my kindle (perfect for bright sunlight), in hardback, or in paperback (I don't mind, I'm not fussy). That would be my perfect summer's day. Admiring the garden, listening to the birds, and sipping a long drink while ploughing through the pages.
But, life isn't like that is it? There's always something to be done, some chore to get finished, some 'job' to be completed, and life takes over. Just like that. I guess my point is that if you love reading and books as much as I do, take the time to make that one of your priorities this summer. The rest is just white noise.