1. I was born in the middle of England but learnt as a small child that I preferred living by the sea. My Welsh father hailed from a small village, Rhosneigr, in Anglesey, North Wales and every summer we visited my grandparents. They owned the village shop just yards away from the large, sandy beach and I have happy memories of the hours spent paddling, exploring rocky pools and making sandcastles.
  2. As a child I wanted to be a doctor, then realised I was a tad squeamish where blood was concerned and turned my thoughts to becoming a pharmacist. I thought this was safer. However, at secondary school, the timetable couldn't accommodate my studying the requisite Latin as well as the science subjects, so I chose to read chemistry at university. In the event I didn't go as I fell in love. Duh! Needless to say, it didn't last.
  3. I didn't go abroad until I was about thirteen, when my school organised a trip to Austria. We stayed in a hostel in Baden, not far from Vienna, and I was blown away by the beauty of the city - a far cry from humble Rugby. I also met a lovely Austrian girl and we became pen pals for years.
  4. My career over time was varied, to put it mildly. I started off as a research lab assistant, changed to an accounts clerk for the gas board to be near the beloved and then became a computer operator in the local college. This was when huge computers filled an air-conditioned room and we operators pressed buttons on a console and wound up punched paper tape bearing the software. A year later, now single, I was off to Italy to be an au pair.
  5. It wasn't until I was married (to the best friend of the first sweetheart) that I decided to study for a degree and signed up with the Open University. One of my better decisions. I studied the Humanities but it took a lot longer than the planned 3-6 years. After a tragic loss I wasn't able to finish my degree until 26 years later, not long before my youngest graduated! But I was proud of my achievement as it would have been so easy to give up. During those years I qualified and worked as a psychotherapist and hypnotherapist.
  6. My love of writing was re-kindled by my studies and I finally wrote my first novel, Dangerous Waters, about nine years ago.
  7. After a number of moves, I took my three children to live in Guernsey in 1988 and spent nearly fourteen happy years there. It provided the inspiration for my books, all set on this beautiful island only twelve miles from France.
  8. When I wrote Dangerous Waters it was meant to be a bit of fun. At the time I wasn't really thinking about being a published author, but then I got the bug! It was six years before I finally held the paperback in my hands and it was a proud moment for me.
  9. I love travelling and have been lucky enough to visit some beautiful and interesting places and there's many I'd still like to see. My favourite holiday was an African safari - magical!
  10. In an ideal world I would live part of the year in warmer climes, so if and when I write that bestseller…