Born in Trinidad; lived there and in Tobago until I was ten, when the family moved to England. Have lived in Essex for thirty years. I teach Creative Writing in Adult Community Learning.

My first published work was two children’s novels, both now out of print. These led in a rather roundabout way to my writing primary literacy non-fiction for Collins and Oxford, on subjects as diverse as Improving the Environment, Castles, Scaffolding and Archimedes. It was doing the research for these that got me hooked on the historical research that contributed to my writing CYMBERIE – though I have always loved reading historical novels and wandering round ruins, castles and old houses. Just touching Tudor bricks in warm autumn sunshine is enough to set me off imagining…

I also write poetry and short stories.