I have been working on TIA This Is Africa for many years and one of my goals for this year was to get it published. I've published it in print form also, mainly to give copies to my family and friends. I'm excited at the prospect of being able to self publish and convinced that ebooks are the way to go.

My Kindle. Goes everywhere I go.

I've always loved writing, enjoyed learning English at school, writing stories and essays. Later in life I wrote articles, newsletters etc, but it was not until five or so years ago that I started to write seriously. I took some courses, wrote short stories, won some competitions and kept revising TIA because I was always learning something new.

I lived and worked in Kenya for over 10 years. The story of TIA is drawn from my experiences working for two years for a relief and development organisation. There are three main threads to the story: the acceleration of the civil war in Sudan, the stories of the expatriate aid-workers and the national staff, and the life changing journey Peggy takes from a raw novice to a selfconfident and capable woman. The story also features the golden weaver birds that fascinated me from my first day. The male builds his intricate nest that hangs from a single knotted thread to a slender twig of a tree. The female inspects his workmanship and if she deems it inferior, simply pulls the knot undone and he has to start all over. Sometimes, life does not always go the way we would wish, often unravelling with dire consequences through no fault of our own. We should take a lesson from the weavers, pick ourselves up and start all over. Our next attemp will be much better than the first because we are constantly learning from our mistakes.

When I sit at my computer I just lose myself and all sense of time. My joy comes from the satisfaction of being able to express myself in the written word and the pleasure that my stories give to those who read them.

I am currently working on the story based on my last years in Africa. I was married to a Kenyan national and lived with his family on a sugarcane farm in western Kenya. I am not sure yet whether it will be a memoir or a book of short stories.

I have retired twice, and now work part time for a local business as their bookkeeper. I love doing cryptic crosswords, jigsaws, reading anything Australian and facebooking with my children, family and friends. My husband and I love camping and hope to travel our way around Australia when we eventually retire.