I was born into a working-class family in the North of England. My family on my father's side are Romany Gypsies who lived a travelling lifestyle. Although my family are astute and skilled story-tellers, in common with most travellers, while oral history is prized, literacy and formal education was never a priority. I was fortunate to be supported by primary school teachers to attend a grammar school. This enabled me to get a university education which led me to work in diverse fields such as counselling and life-coaching, working with women and children who had suffered domestic or sexual violence and with children in social care. i have also managed projects related to education and youth work with Gypsy Roma and Irish Travellers. I recently moved to part time work so that I could finish my first novel.
I don't have formal writing qualifications, but I taught myself to read at age three and have been a compulsive reader ever since.
