Being a storyteller is a joy but, in my case, I was frequently begged to fabricate tales for my sisters, so it often became a chore in my earlier years. Over the years I have completed TAFE courses for Creative Writing while owning and managing my own successful business. After the death of my husband I moved to the Central Coast where I’ve resided for the last decade. This change of lifestyle and scenery has allowed me to return to the craft of storytelling with renewed joy and vigour.
I am now 64 years old and I have just completed my first trilogy of novels. When I began writing Under Yellow Water, Down Dirty Dog Gulch and Over at Screaming Rock, I decided to base the stories on my own unusual childhood on an isolated bushland property bordering Kai-ring-gai Chase National Park. I was one of nine post-war children raised essentially by my mother – who struggled without the luxury of basic amenities such as power, water or sewerage. This and the Australian landscape gave me a beautiful stage to base my stories around – although I must stress that the harsh and sinister plots in my novels are fictional.
Without the unwavering support, critique and bolstering of my exceptional friends and family I would never have finished writing this trilogy.