MY LIFE SO FAR... I was born in Reading, England and was brought up with my grandparents from the age of three, turning to fairytales and my imagination to provide glamour to compete with my grandmother's fake diamante earrings. I wrote my first novel on the back of a colouring book when I was six. My mother got a job on the book counter at WHSmith and brought home discarded novels with most of the pages missing - a good imagination was becoming essential. My mother remarried and we moved to Kent. I wrote scripts for 'The Goodies' in my exercise books. I spent my time on the school bus writing plays which nobody wanted to be in. A series of generous English teachers game me top marks for creative writing, so I decided to become a scientist. I began science 'A' levels, got distracted by motorbikes and beer, and parted company with my FE college by mutual consent.

I worked as a motorcycle dispatch rider, barmaid, Saturday girl in Boots (yes, selling condoms), waitress in Wimpy, office clerk, runner bean picker, meat-filler in a pork pie factory and postman, before joining the Foreign Office so that I could go to Africa. I worked in Whitehall for 2 years, was sent to Angola in 1987 and on to Sri Lanka in 1988 where I was a consular attache. I also visited Singapore, Malaysia, and the Maldives, and took unpaid leave to go to Japan in 1990 to teach English. Back in London in 1991, I decided to try for a university place, and studied for 'A' levels at evening classes while working in Whitehall. It worked and I went to Oxford University in 1992 to read English.

At Oxford I worked as a washer-upper in the kitchens, cleaner, bed-maker, barmaid and decorator. I played rugby (which hurt) and cricket (which didn't), wrote sketches for the college review, stories for my friends, and co-wrote the college newsletter. I translated Beowulf in my spare time. After my degree, I stayed in Oxford for a while, teaching English as a Foreign Language and Adult Literacy Skills while concentrating on writing novels.

In 1998, my first novel 'Reading Between the Lines' was published by Heinemann/Arrow (Random House). The novel went on to win the Romantic Novelists' Association 'New Writer's Award' and was selected by WH Smith as a 'Fresh Talent' choice - one of only six new novels selected for the 'Fresh Talent' promotion in the UK that year. Previous 'Fresh Talent' winners include Marian Keyes, Catherine Alliott, Katie Fforde and Christina Jones, so I was very honoured. 'Reading Between the Lines' also bounced straight into the Sunday Times Top Ten Bestsellers, meaning that my writing life got off to a very exciting start.

Since then I have been loving the fact that I can spend more time writing. Every novel is special to me, like getting to know a new friend. You can get to see more about my novels by clicking the cover links below, and read excerpts if you'd like.

I now share a house in Kent with two cats and one person, but couldn't possibly say which I enjoy cuddling the most.

"You'll be flipping pages so fast, the breeze will keep you cool" - New Woman

Reading Between The Lines

Going Against The Grain

Beating About The Bush

Rising To The Occasion