Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
I was born in England, but when I was seven years old, my family emigrated to New Zealand. I will always be grateful for that decision. It must have been hard for my parents to do that, but we all have wonderful lives as a result.
As children, from that age on, we were always out and about, on our bikes, at the beach, in the bush area behind our house, making bush huts, tree huts, going on adventures, and learning about life. It was the best possible upbringing, and many of the incidents in my novels have come from that time.
When did you first start writing?
My writing has followed an erratic path. I knew I COULD write, when I was sixteen years old, and won a short story competition. In my early twenties, I did several correspondence courses on writing, but life got in the way. Finally, when I was forty four, my first grandchild was born, and that started my writing in earnest.
I have a lot of work tucked away, ready to bring it to life.
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