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About Me

I grew up surrounded by books. Both my parents loved to read and they shared that love with me. In the tiny Australian bush town where we lived, there wasn’t a lot to do except read and ride my ponies.

Riding a horse called Bomber
Riding a horse called Bomber

As it’s pretty hard to make a living out of riding ponies, I guess I was always going to be a writer.

After some fun-filled years at Queensland University (during which I passed the occasional exam), I became a television journalist, first in Australia, then in Asia and Europe. I got to see and do a lot of unusual things. I met some interesting people, including one Pope, at least three Prime Ministers, a few movie stars and a dolphin. I also discovered that most interesting people are often the ‘ordinary’ people – who sometimes have quite extraordinary stories to tell.

Reporting on outback floods for Channel 7 News
Reporting on outback floods for Channel 7 News

 

My first published fiction, a short story called The Last Dragon, appeared in 2002. I love writing short stories and you can check some of them out for free on the site.

My first novel, written when I was about 11 years old, involved a young girl (me) being rescued from kidnappers by two handsome men – one of whom was former James Bond Roger Moore.

A book signing in Toowoomba, Queensland
A book signing in Toowoomba, Queensland

My first published novel, The Farmer Needs A Wife was released in 2009. It might not surprise you to learn that it was set in Australia and featured men on horses.

Australia, horses and men still feature in my writing – although I have written one book without horses in it. There were penguins instead.

I enjoying running workshops and teaching. Twice a year I lead writing retreats with fellow writer Alison May. You can check out those retreats on my page for writers.

Alison and I also write together under the name Juliet Bell. Our first joint novel, The Heights, is a modern adaptation of the classic story by Emily Brontë. Juliet’s second novel is The Other Wife – and I’ll bet you can guess which classic novel inspired that one.

I travel a lot – and many years ago in Hong Kong, I met an Englishman with green eyes – which explains why I now live in London. My travels inspire me – but it seems that when I write, I often come back to the place I grew up.

Some things you never leave behind.