Being a curious creature, I always find it interesting to discover how and where other authors write. We’re a mixed bunch, and I love how everyone does things slightly differently. I’ve spent a lot of this autumn in my lovely writing room, ploughing away on edits for the second book in THE UNCHOSEN ONE trilogy (title is still absolutely top secret, but will be revealed at some point over the coming months. I’ve had tremendous fun with it and can’t wait to share it with you!) I adore my tiny writing room, despite its messy chaos, and I am often treated to a beautiful sunrise through the window on the left, and a lovely sunset through the one on the right.

Sometimes, when I have a lot of work to push on with, the best option is to glue myself to my desk and hammer things out. However, I love working in other places when I can. Variety is something that my soul craves and a change of scene can do wonders for my writing. I do like working in cafes – and have perfected that essential writers’ skill of making a pot of tea last for two hours –  but it needs to be a relatively quiet place, as I find too much hustle and bustle distracting. 

I absolutely adore being outdoors, in any weather so writing outside is the perfect combination for me. I will write up trees (notebooks only, no laptops!), on beaches, at picnic benches, anywhere I can, and preferably with a travel mug of tea beside me. As the autumn rolls in, and the weather begins to turn, outdoor places can become quieter, which often works even better.

Hello, readers!

Happy September! I have some good news for you - The Players Act 1: All The World’s A Stage e-book is completely free on Kobo this week as part of their diverse storytelling promotion! So, if you have Kobo and been meaning to pick it up, now's a good time! You DON’T need a Kobo e-reader to benefit - you can read the e-book on any device that supports e-pub files as it’s DRM-Free.

I'm delighted that PLAYERS was one of only a handful of titles selected to be part of this offer. Diversity is hugely important to me as it reflects the world around us. It's also really important to showcase the rich diversity in the past as this isn't always demonstrated as clearly as it could be. The Players - Act 1 explores various characters from different walks of life and includes neurodiversity, racial diversity, sexual diversity, and working class characters.

Phew! It’s been busy with the launch of The Unchosen One: bookshop signings with lovely conversations; an online author panel with thousands of children; book club discussions; and a wonderful launch event at Eastbourne Library. Thank you very much to all of you who have borrowed or bought The Unchosen One, engaged with my social media posts, attended events, reviewed the book, or spread the word about it. Your support is truly appreciated. If you haven’t grabbed a copy yet and would like to, please click here.

And so…

HERE SHE COMES, READY OR NOT!

Welcome to another newsletter! It’s been very busy here and I’m so excited that The Unchosen One is finally out in the wild and receiving some lovely reviews. If you’ve already ordered a copy – thank you very much for your support. It is very much appreciated! Please do leave a star-rating or review anywhere you like if you enjoyed the book – they make a huge amount of difference to authors. Thank you so much!

Have you seen the book trailer produced by Walker Books? It’s really fun. I love book trailers – how the images and music come together to communicate the heart of the book. I think this trailer communicates The Unchosen One very clearly!

Hello!

Spring has well and truly arrived, here in the UK, and it’s been fantastic. I tend to go adventuring with my family in all seasons and weather, but it’s great to see places opening up and waking up a little more. I love being outdoors, and definitely do my best writing and creating when I’m on the move, exploring and thinking. I find it challenging to sit indoors at a laptop day after day (windows open whatever the weather – unless the wind blows them shut instead, which often happens!).

However, when I’m nailing the draft of a novel, for me, the best way is to tell myself to SIT DOWN (in a loud, capital letters voice) and effectively not move until it’s done. Anything else - short stories, screenplays, articles, working up ideas, and even later editing of novels - I can do in bite-size pieces, weaving adventures with the children into every day. I’ve just finished the bulk of the structural editing for book 2 of the Unchosen One trilogy (woohoo!) and I’m off on an adventure today! When I’m working on novels, I’m like one of those toys - remember those with a suction pad at the bottom, and a spring, a funny little face or character at the top. You push it down and it stays, and it stays, and it stays (while it writes its novel) then – PING!!! Off for an adventure. Wherever you are, and whatever you’re doing, I hope you have the opportunity for an adventure soon.

Hello, everyone!

Hello! March is here and it’s been lovely to see the sunshine after a very rainy start!

Ah, it’s been so delightfully full on lately, with projects bursting out left, right and centre through various mediums of storytelling.  Sometimes, I like to scare myself and stop and count up how many ‘To Be Written’ projects there are outstanding. I think I’m currently on 14 books (across children’s and adult), 2 short story collections, 2 more feature films (plus working on the period drama one already in development), plus a TV series. One thing I’m never short on is inspiration! Time, however, is another matter. 

Hello, everyone!

It’s been a very busy start of the year for me, so I’ve been a bit quiet! I’ll be sending out a proper newsletter soon, but in the meantime, I wanted to let you know that 'The Unchosen One' is featuring in a 25% pre-order discount at Waterstones!

This is only available online with the code FEB26, and orders need to be placed between now and 20th February.

Hello! Merry Christmas to you all! I hope you are having a lovely December so far. I’m beginning to wind down a little now and getting exciting things in place for 2026. This will include writing some bonus newsletter-exclusive content for both my children’s and adult fiction – hope you enjoy it!

I’ll make this a short one as I know it’s a busy time of year!

Adults

Hello! I can’t believe it’s been a couple of months since I’ve been in touch. It’s been a hugely busy with summer with my family and writing a brand new novel, which I submitted last week. I’m going to write a proper newsletter shortly, now I’m into the swing of autumn BUT I wanted to let you know about a couple of special offers happening NOW!

ADHD Awareness Month 2025

Writing with ADHD is a both a blessing and a curse. It certainly makes life harder at times, but then I’m not sure I would achieved what I have without it. You can find out more about ADHD Awareness Month here:

ADULTS

The Players

I am over the moon that today (Tuesday 29^th July) the curtain officially rises on The Players Act 1: All The World’s A Stage. These characters have been with me a long time, waiting patiently in the wings (or not so patiently, in some cases) for their story to be shared, and finally, they are stepping out onto the stage.

Hello, and welcome to newsletter 2! It’s warm and sunny here in the UK, with light mornings and light evenings. This means I’ve been able to get up early and stay up later, and fit more work into my day. Which is just as well, looking at my To Do list.

I also have a special sneak-peek to share with you later on in the newsletter. But first, what’s been happening and what curious things are waiting around the corner?

ADULTS

The Film

Hello and welcome to my first ever newsletter for readers! Hope you enjoy it and thank you for signing up.

I thought I’d quickly introduce myself to start with. I live in Devon, England with my husband and we have six kids. I started writing children’s books in 2007 and have had around 30 published – picture books, chapter books, middle-grade novels and reading scheme books. As well as writing books for children, I have recently branched out into adult writing, screenwriting and producing/directing. I love the creative variety and enjoy spinning multiple plates (having six children has been invaluable training for this!).

Whichever media I’m writing in, whichever age I’m writing for, I find there are similarities in my work. The idea of what it means to be human fascinates me and as an offshoot of this, I often write about connection with others and relationships. As a mum of six, I particularly love writing about sibling relationships. I also enjoy messy, broken characters with complex emotions and fortunately for them, I am drawn to creating stories about hope, healing and overcoming adversity.  In fact, I started doing a Psychology degree at university because I intended to become a clinical psychologist, although I changed to an English & Theology degree in my second year. I came to realise it was understanding how and why people ‘are’ that fascinated me, and now my characters are my clients. We walk a lot, talk a lot and sort stuff out.

The other thing I’m fascinated by is the intriguing dynamic of comedy and tragedy in life – the two are rarely far away from each other, and I love exploring this in stories. Ever since I was young, I’ve enjoyed making people laugh so although I often cover deep and emotional aspects of human nature, humour is often just around the corner. I love writing stories which make you both laugh and cry – perhaps even at the same time. This is the reality of life.