Tell us about yourself.:
I am an author and RSPCA Inspector from Norfolk. I have a degree in English Literature and Linguistics from York University and have been investigating animal cruelty and neglect and rescuing sick and injured animals for almost 20 years. In my day job, I deal with very difficult and often emotional situations and meet all sorts of people from all sorts of backgrounds. My career provides some of the inspiration for my fictional work.
I live in an old cottage in the country. I have a husband, 5 children, 2 dogs, a cat, 2 giant African land snails and currently one rescued hen who thinks she is a dog, so finding time to write can be a challenge. I am happiest outdoors, growing fruit and vegetables in the garden, walking the dogs and family holidays usually involve walking up mountains in summer, skiing down them in winter and sleeping in a tent whenever possible.
I love spending time with my large, noisy, chaotic family, cooking meals for friends and playing board games. I always have at least one book on the go and have always dreamed of writing my own novel. I now dream of writing more.

Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?:
I grew up in a village in Lincolnshire with my mum, dad and my little sister. We are very close as a family and my sister has always been my best friend. I was always surrounded by books and nature. We spent our spare time and holidays walking in the mountains and I was always making up stories or boring my parents with tales about the books that I read.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to write outside. I have a double camping chair and I put it on the lawn and sit at one end with a dog on the other. Bobby was my canine writing companion during the writing of The Essence of Bliss but sadly we lost him before he was able to see it published. Bonnie has now taken up his mantle and joins me on my chair in the garden.
In sunny weather, I wear a sun hat. In cold weather, I wrap up warm. On rainy days we retire to the conservatory and write to the soothing sound of the rain on the roof.

What authors have influenced you?
I grew up in a village in Lincolnshire with my mum, dad and my little sister. We are very close as a family and my sister has always been my best friend. I was always surrounded by books and nature. We spent our spare time and holidays walking in the mountains and I was always making up stories or boring my parents with tales about the books that I read.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
I always knew that I wanted to write but never felt that I was in the right place in my life. I was working, I was getting married, I was having children and being a mum. I told myself that when I had children and had some time off work, I would start to write. It didn't happen. I told myself that when the children got a bit older and started school, I would start to write. It didn't happen. I eventually realised that there is never a perfect time to start writing but if you want it enough, you have to make the time. Even if you're stealing 45 minutes in your lunch break or half an hour between eating dinner and starting on the packed lunches for the next day. Get up 20 minutes earlier. Go to bed half an hour later. Delete that game from your phone and just get on with it because there will never be a better time.

What is the best advice you have ever been given?
Life is fragile, it is short, it is gone before you know it. Live the life you have, be thankful for what you have and seize every day.

What are you reading now?
Go Tell The Bees That I Am Gone, Diana Gabaldon

What’s your biggest weakness?
I think I take too much on all of the time. I never stop and am sometimes too busy to just take a moment and enjoy life.

What is your favorite book of all time?
I am totally in love with the whole Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. It is almost impossible to pick a favourite but today think I will say book 4, Drums of Autumn

When you’re not writing, how do you like to spend your time?
I love spending time with my family and animals. I love to be outside, walking or gardening and I love cooking for my friends and playing board games.

Do you remember the first story you ever read, and the impact it had on you?
Gosh, the first story ever? I was surrounded by books and stories growing up. As a young child, I loved Whinnie-the-Pooh, A. A. Milne. Eeyore was my tragic hero. As I go a bit older I devoured Enid Blyton stories and I would say the first 'grown up' book that truly inspired me would be Gone With The Wind. I have always loved escaping into a book and still find it the most engrossing past time ever.

What has inspired you and your writing style?
I've always loved proper chunky books. I like to really get into a sweeping tale – Gone With The Wind, The Lord Of The Rings, Outlander. I enjoy both fiction set in the real world and fantasy fiction but It's all about the characters for me. I must admit, these days I am most drawn into tales with at least an element of magic.

What are you working on now?
The Essence of Insanity, sequel to The Essence of Bliss, is well under way and I have so many ideas for a prequel and further books set in the same reality. My head is full of ideas for loads more books, I just need to find the time!

What is your favorite method for promoting your work?
I am very new to book promotion. At the moment it's all about bothering my friends with Facebook posts but I am also enjoying author interviews and hope to branch out to other forms of promotion soon.

What’s next for you as a writer?
The current series should keep me busy for some years to come but I would love to try a James Herriot style collection of stories about being an RSPCA Inspector and I'd like to team up with a beautiful artist to create a fantasy series designed for older children with dyslexia.

How well do you work under pressure?
I've never been someone who can work into the night to hit a deadline. My brain switches off at bedtime and after that, I can only produce mush. However, without the pressure of some kind of deadline, I will always find something more pressing to do so I'd say pressure is necessary but too much and my head will explode!

How do you decide what tone to use with a particular piece of writing?
I get to know my characters in my head before putting anything on paper. I spend hours on dog walks, imagining their conversations about all sorts of random topics until I feel like I know them inside out and only then do I begin to write.

If you could share one thing with your fans, what would that be?
I'd invite them round to sit on my lawn in my writing chair with Bonnie by their side so that they could understand the pure pleasure that I get from my writing.

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