Who am I?

I am a British wife, mother and grandmother with family on both sides of the Atlantic. A retired teacher and lecturer of biology and psychology, I came late to the art of creative writing. In the course of my life, I have acquired four degrees: three in science and a master's in creative writing, which I studied online during the UK's COVID-19 lockdown. My studies turned a novice’s writing into a passion, and on gaining the degree, I wrote this novel.

I lived abroad for seven years in Sweden and America. My two daughters, by my first husband Alistair, were born in St Louis in 1977 and 1980. I gained my first master’s degree at Washington University in St Louis. It is a city that left me with many fond memories.

I have travelled widely over the last twenty-five years, visiting many exciting and exotic places. My favourite destination is the Caribbean. I always feel at home there, and genealogy research found my paternal great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather were born in the West Indies of British parentage.

Further research found that my maternal great-grandmother emigrated from Ireland to England in the nineteenth century and likely met my great-grandfather in Lancashire. I believe he is of Irish descent. My mother told me about him taking a Lancashire cotton mill out on strike for better pay and conditions. A strong-willed, independent streak runs through my heritage. It is exemplified in Brigid, this novel’s protagonist.