About Me
I grew up in the Tweed Valley, in Northern NSW, just south of the Queensland border.
When I was very young, my family lived on a farm in the foothills of Wollumbin Mt Warning and it was my job to feed the poddy calves. Even today, I love that mountain and I always feel a connection to it.
Until I started school, my parents would travel every year to Tasmania for the apple picking season. We lived at Grove, a tiny village in the Huon Valley.
When I was eight, we moved from Murwillumbah to Kingscliff. I could still see Wollumbin, but now we lived near the beach. My family also spent a couple of years living in Babinda, in Far North Qld. My father still has family in that area. But we returned to Kingscliff and that's where we stayed until I left home.
I was always interested in learning. I loved history and science and even math, but it was the creative arts that attracted me most. I played piano for many years and studied Speech and Drama. I have an Associate Diploma in Speech and Drama and once dreamed of being a Shakespearean actress. My most awarded role was Juliet (my death scene won many medals) but I preferred playing Queen Margaret in Henry VI.
Then I left school and lived in Finland. I lived in Rovaniemi, on the Arctic Circle. Many years later I still feel a strong affinity with the Finnish people and the landscapes. Finland is the home of my heart.
When I was very young, my family lived on a farm in the foothills of Wollumbin Mt Warning and it was my job to feed the poddy calves. Even today, I love that mountain and I always feel a connection to it.
Until I started school, my parents would travel every year to Tasmania for the apple picking season. We lived at Grove, a tiny village in the Huon Valley.
When I was eight, we moved from Murwillumbah to Kingscliff. I could still see Wollumbin, but now we lived near the beach. My family also spent a couple of years living in Babinda, in Far North Qld. My father still has family in that area. But we returned to Kingscliff and that's where we stayed until I left home.
I was always interested in learning. I loved history and science and even math, but it was the creative arts that attracted me most. I played piano for many years and studied Speech and Drama. I have an Associate Diploma in Speech and Drama and once dreamed of being a Shakespearean actress. My most awarded role was Juliet (my death scene won many medals) but I preferred playing Queen Margaret in Henry VI.
Then I left school and lived in Finland. I lived in Rovaniemi, on the Arctic Circle. Many years later I still feel a strong affinity with the Finnish people and the landscapes. Finland is the home of my heart.
|
On returning to Australia I moved to Sydney for university. I worked in retail banking and Human Resources, and in the excitement of city living and working and promotions and meeting my husband and travelling and moving to Canberra… my creative activities faded away…
Fast forward a few years and I was once again back in the Tweed and starting my own family. With two small boys, I wanted to do something creative, and I did a Writing course at my local Community College.
That was in the late 1990's and I've been writing ever since, on and off as family life allowed. I've travelled a lot, especially to Malaysia. My husband is Malaysian-born Punjabi, and we visit just about every year. Kuala Lumpur is my second home.
As my love of writing deepened, I did many courses through various writer's centres, especially the QWC. I joined SCBWI and the ASA. I attended festivals and conferences and entered many competitions. I wrote short stories for magazines and anthologies. I have written crime and romance but it is writing for children and young adults I enjoy the most.
These days, I am a full time writer and I currently live on the Gold Coast.
Fast forward a few years and I was once again back in the Tweed and starting my own family. With two small boys, I wanted to do something creative, and I did a Writing course at my local Community College.
That was in the late 1990's and I've been writing ever since, on and off as family life allowed. I've travelled a lot, especially to Malaysia. My husband is Malaysian-born Punjabi, and we visit just about every year. Kuala Lumpur is my second home.
As my love of writing deepened, I did many courses through various writer's centres, especially the QWC. I joined SCBWI and the ASA. I attended festivals and conferences and entered many competitions. I wrote short stories for magazines and anthologies. I have written crime and romance but it is writing for children and young adults I enjoy the most.
These days, I am a full time writer and I currently live on the Gold Coast.