Background

I was born on the Falcon Lodge Estate in Sutton Coldfield. My father, a toolmaker, worked in various factories in Birmingham. He was salt of the earth, working all of his life to support the family he loved and to offer us the opportunities he had not been afforded.  My brother was kindness itself. My mom loved us all and she loved to sing, so she often made up songs about how much she loved us! How fortunate I was to be born into such a family and to be so truly blessed.

As far back as I remember, I wanted to put into words the beauty of the world around me.  I remember watching net curtains dance in the wind of my open bedroom window and witnessing the comings and goings of Martin House (the house martin) who lived in the eaves of the roof above.  I liked to wander on my own in the back garden so I could breathe in the smell of the earth after a storm and sense the energy radiating from rose bushes, rhubarb leaves - in every blade of grass.  I longed to express my sense of wonderment and to capture, in words, the sensations of being alive.

I wrote poetry for family birthdays and anniversaries but never planned to become a writer. I don't think it occured to me that earning a living as a writer was a possibility for someone ordinary like me.