I spent my early childhood in Downham Market, in North Norfolk before moving to South West London when I was twelve. I have lived in London ever since, but still love the North Norfolk coast, hence the village of Blakeney is captured in my first novel as well as my fondness for London.

My mother was a domestic science teacher and a great cook, and as long as I can remember I was always around her in the kitchen, waiting as often as not to lick the bowl out. But she taught me to understand and appreciate food, and often my parents had guests over for dinner and I was always allowed to try a piece of cheese. Maybe that’s why I’ve always enjoyed Stilton and strong cheddar, and gastronomy plays an integral part in my book.

It was at a Christmas lunch several years ago and we had to buy each other a secret Santa present and the person I had to buy for I knew was keen to write a novel, so I brought him a book on writing. This started a thought process in me, which led to me sitting down in January 2020 when I wrote the first paragraph of “The Biscuit Barrel Murder.”

I’m naturally pulled to the genre of “cosy crime”, and am drawn to the period of the 1920’s where the pace of life is dictated by the various modes of transport and the way people communicated with each other.

The completion of my first novel laid a few ghosts to rest, I struggled at school and it was only later when I did an Open University course that they discovered I was dyslexic, which explained a lot about me. And writing my first novel has given me a confidence I never really had before.

I have now completed the first draft of my second novel, which takes Fescue’s Detective Agency on another roller coaster of a ride and a race against time.