What made me become a writer?
My family has always enjoyed telling stories. In fact, before she lost her speech, Granny Hill used to tell hysterical anecdotes that kept me in stitches as a child.
My dad too would sit us down and recite tales of his schoolboy antics (he’d been a very naughty boy).
It was a sort of family ritual to sit at his feet on a Sunday evening – my brother and I were enthralled. I wrote my first book, Wilma the Yellow Witch, in 1977 when I was expecting my first baby and it received six rejections.
I didn’t give up though, over the next 23 years I wrote every type of genre you can imagine – children’s books, adult books, short stories, articles – all rejected!
My dad too would sit us down and recite tales of his schoolboy antics (he’d been a very naughty boy).
It was a sort of family ritual to sit at his feet on a Sunday evening – my brother and I were enthralled. I wrote my first book, Wilma the Yellow Witch, in 1977 when I was expecting my first baby and it received six rejections.
I didn’t give up though, over the next 23 years I wrote every type of genre you can imagine – children’s books, adult books, short stories, articles – all rejected!
When my mum retired from teaching, she became an author, Margaret Sunley. She wrote historical fiction based in Yorkshire and when she died, she’d just finished writing a book called Sons of Toil. I worked with her agent and editor to get it ready for publication. I’d already been writing and getting rejected for about 15 years so it gave me a real taste of what being a writer was like.
My big break came in 2000 when Hodder started their new imprint Bite. I wrote Magenta Orange and it was accepted! Since then I’ve written Magenta in the Pink, Blaggers, Diamond Geezers, Magenta Goes Green, Shades of Magenta, Mimosa Fortune and Magenta Sings the Blues.
In 2010 my husband became seriously ill and I took time out of writing to care for him but I’m happy to say that he’s in remission at the moment and I’m raring to go again. I love creating stories and characters. When I do readings and hear people laughing, it gives me enormous satisfaction to think that I’ve brought a bit of pleasure into their lives.
My big break came in 2000 when Hodder started their new imprint Bite. I wrote Magenta Orange and it was accepted! Since then I’ve written Magenta in the Pink, Blaggers, Diamond Geezers, Magenta Goes Green, Shades of Magenta, Mimosa Fortune and Magenta Sings the Blues.
In 2010 my husband became seriously ill and I took time out of writing to care for him but I’m happy to say that he’s in remission at the moment and I’m raring to go again. I love creating stories and characters. When I do readings and hear people laughing, it gives me enormous satisfaction to think that I’ve brought a bit of pleasure into their lives.