About me
I love stories that make us laugh, but that also challenge our lives, and our perception of the world - both fiction and non-fiction. The best stories are those that stretch us, and show us defeating the odds. That's what initially drew me into my first career: journalism.
But inside all that, one of my favourite fictional topics is our mortality, and the possibility of an afterlife. For a writer, the possibilities about what goes on 'up there' is a wonderful playground for one's imagination. And as humans have done for millennia, I suppose I'm trying to make sense of our mortality through fiction.
And I've got a bit of a naughty sense of humour - I have a lot of fun through my writing. The quiet part of me is sometimes shocked and embarrassed by what I've written. But life's too short to hide, so I've put it all out there.
Before writing my first novel, I was a journalist and photographer. I lived in Australia for eight years, writing arts stories for The Daily Telegraph. I spent most nights reviewing shows, and my days interviewing actors and comedians. And weekends were spent surfing and photographing weddings.
After my two daughters were born, I returned to the UK. The media industry was in decline. Wages and job openings were falling, especially if you didn't live in a big town or city. So I retrained as a plumber/gas engineer.
I now run my own plumbing business, which fits in beautifully with my writing, music and family commitments. Life is busy, but awesome. I live in a pretty seaside town in south-east England, which is home to the most creative people I've ever met.
