So who am I?
At sixteen, my poem about a mum awaiting her son’s return from war, unimaginatively titled: ‘Fred’ll come back one day’ was printed in The Times - I was to be a writer! I was also the English teacher’s pet, running the school magazine and drama club. However, to Mrs Huggett’s astonishment and my lasting shame, I failed my English A’level, so was forced to change career tack.
Thus, I trained as a general and psychiatric nurse before literally saving lives by leaving nursing and plucking up courage to go to East 15 Drama School. After a long stint on the cabaret circuit developing a marginally thicker skin, I have had a thirty-year acting career and played thousands of patients for medical role-play while raising my two sons. Writing two one-woman shows re-established the writing bug and six professional theatre productions later, four with my own co-founded company (Human Story Theatre), I now call myself a writer.
I am to be found either wandering the Welsh hills still mulling over the plot of my first novel (about mental health, a continuing interest) or in the privileged position of enabling other ‘human stories’, in my role as a recently trained Funeral and Family celebrant. Due to Covid, I developed my online communications skills support and have enjoyed being available from afar via zoom etc. for medical exams, individual support and group exam practice sessions. I hope to further develop my writing for health and social care training, alongside all the international book signing tours, which will imminently happen, of course!