About me.

By the time I was eighteen, I’d lived in thirteen different places and gone to ten different schools. My dad moved us around a lot – not because he was running from the law or anything, he just had really itchy feet. I was always the new kid in class, the one on the outside trying to get in. It wasn’t much fun, but I did get very good at sticking my chin out and faking it. It’s a useful skill.

Maybe I’ve got itchy feet too? I’ve had more than twenty different jobs, from artist’s model to TV presenter to English teacher. It’s been great, but I’ve never enjoyed my work as much as I do now, scribbling away at the next book, visiting schools and working in a children’s library in South London. When I can match a child with the right book, I’ve done my job. Losing yourself in a story might be the best thing in the world.

I live a short-but-perilous cycle-ride away from the library with my husband and a couple of shouty cats. My two almost grown-up children are out in the wild now, but I’m still prying open their heads to find out what makes them tick.

I’ve always loved writing. Anyone can write, but you need to work hard and believe you can do it. I love shouting about the things I’m passionate about, waving words around like I wave my arms in real life.

Want to know a secret? I dropped out of university the first time around. But I didn’t give up on learning, and in middle age I’ve become the proud owner of a master’s degree in creative writing for young people.

I believe in second chances.