I was born in London and grew up near Chelmsford, Essex. I have always loved writing. By age ten I was turning out science fiction stories with a readership of one – me; and around age 15 I found I had a talent for writing angst-filled poetry in dark places on a cheap blue typewriter.

After leaving school I turned down a place at uni and instead bought a ticket to Australia for £75, courtesy of the Australian Government. I planned to hang out in Australia for two years, then go back to England and uni.

I met and married my husband shortly after arriving in Australia and the return trip didn’t eventuate.

After raising three children, working in the fields of education and human resources management, and sitting in more cold basketball stadiums than I care to remember, I graduated from uni in my fifties but my dream was always to become a published author. A Very British Disaster is a realisation of that dream.

I live with my husband and our couch-buddy, Rusty, near Canberra, Australia.