Welcome to my blog site.

I would like to acknowledge the Wiradjuri people the Traditional Custodians of the Land, and the place where I live and work. I would also like to pay respect to the Elders both past and present of the Wiradjuri Nation and extend that respect to other Indigenous Australians.

In 2015, when the site began, I was unsure what would develop from it. A select group of followers have joined and I’ve completed three manuscripts and sold a book.

I have undertaken many writing courses. The Year of the Novel at Writing NSW with Emily Maguire was my first. Emily’s voice still rings in my ears when I’m considering the point of view. ‘Can you see them doing it?’ she’d ask. ‘If the answer is no, then it’s not in the first person.’ Wise words. Emily continues to teach, mentor and write.

I always check the ‘New to View’ pages of the associations I subscribe to, hoping to see any alumnus works published.

The second middle-grade children’s book about autism is complete, well for now. The first, Simon Goes to Spain, published in 2019, can be purchased here.

The Simon Goes to Spain idea was born on a hot Spanish evening whilst I was on holiday with my husband, Peter, and our boys. In the evening’s quiet, with only the cicadas singing, what felt like a truck thundering under our villa awoke us. We’d experienced a minor earth tremor, apparently common off the coast of Costa Blanca. Inspiration for a protagonist was Peter’s eldest son, Simon, and the wish to increase knowledge about autism.

In all of my years as a teacher, I’ve witnessed only limited improvements in the rights and independence of people with disability. Sure, we no longer have instituted, but little else has changed. Through my writing, I’m doing a tiny bit to embrace diversity and celebrate humanity in all its glorious forms.

My third completed manuscript, Wellworth, is an adult thriller based in Widyarra, a fictitious town in Wiradjuri Country in regional NSW. The protagonist, Ally, returns to her hometown to start life over, only to uncover deadly secrets with tragic results. Wellworth is being published by Hawkeye Books.

Writing, like teaching, is a continuous journey of learning. In 2021, I began an online postgraduate course at Deakin University in Writing and Literature. Each subject I complete improves my writing immeasurably.

Thank you for visiting my site. I hope you enjoy the eclectic mix of book reviews, personal essays, poems and the occasional chapters from my books. If you have a tale about your writing journey or any journey, let me know or better still click follow so we can share our journeys together.