I live on the beautiful far south coast of New South Wales but I grew up a farm kid – happily roaming the paddocks and bush, hanging off the clothesline, climbing trees and jumping in the dam. For many years we lived with my grandparents and some of my aunts and uncles as an extended family unit running a large dairy farm.
As a small child, I loved picture books like The Poky Little Puppy and Dr. Suess’ Hop on Pop, Enid Blyton’s magical tales of The Faraway Tree and the adventures of The Famous Five. As I got older I discovered Stephen King. When I was little my uncle and aunt played a prank on my sister and me. Our aunt led us into the bathroom where my uncle hid underneath the old bath. She started chanting for Dracula to come forth and my uncle emerged complete with toothpaste fangs, tomato sauce blood and powdered face to scare us. We played the Haunted House board game, watched scary movies, and told each other ghost stories. This was the beginning of my fascination with horror and supernatural tales.
When I was nine I wrote my first short story, The Creepy Castle, and it spurned a love of writing. I went on to study journalism and started my career as a researcher and junior writer at the Canberra Press Gallery. I joined the Australian Public Service delivering communication and advertising campaigns and national policy initiatives for more than 30 years. During the COVID years, I reassessed my life and decided it was time to step back and take better care of my family and myself. That was the moment that I reconnected with my passion for storytelling.
with a darker lens, and my writing is inspired by my life experiences growing up in the country and working with law enforcement and national agencies. These were key influences that helped shape my soon to be released debut novel, Bad Country.
When I’m not writing, you can find me on the golf course or enjoying good wine, walking along the beach, or spending time with my family and my Kelpie. I am a member of Marion (ACT Writers) and the Eurobodalla Writers and for any emerging writer, I cannot stress enough how valuable peer support and critical friends can be.
In my blog Reds, Whites and Greens, I showcase fabulous locations around Australia where you can play a round at a top golf course in the morning and enjoy a tipple at a gorgeous winery in the afternoon. Is there anything better than great golf and good wine? I also share insights into what writing means to me, my influences and how I develop characters and storylines.
If that’s not your thing, dive into my short stories. If you like what you read, I’d love to hear from you, and you can stay up to date with my latest content via the subscription service below.
