1. I am a typical 'Northern Lass' who was born and raised on a council estate in Bradford. I loved my early life and, growing up in the 60's and 70's, it was still considered safe to run wild with your friends around the estate. It was common, particularly in the summer, for parents to let their eager kids out to play after breakfast and tell them to be back before it got dark, or if they got hungry - whichever came first.
  2. Although my parents worked hard for a living, they took any job available that would enable them to provide for the family. This left little time for training, and lifelong learning wasn't deemed the 'in thing' back then, so the jobs were inevitably poorly paid, which meant we struggled financially as a family. I remember going back to school after Christmas and waiting to hear about all the latest toys and then pretending that I too got a Tiny Tears or a Chopper bike.
  3. I remember being allowed to watch a Ken Loach film when I was about ten years old. It was Cathy Come Home, and when I overheard other people talking about it, I realized for the first time that not everybody lived in the same way as we did. I thought debt collectors and bailiffs were a part of everyday life and that it was perfectly normal to hide quietly behind the sofa on a Friday teatime until all the loan men had stopped knocking at the door.
  4. To save money on toys, my nanna took me to join our local library not long after I'd seen Cathy Come Home. Suddenly, I was introduced to a world where I could peek in on other people's lives. I was in my element and started to practically devour books. I could disappear into any world I wanted to; rich, poor, fantasy, fairytale… I was hooked.
  5. Our extended family were very close, and we were huge. My dad came from a family of 13, so we were always at one auntie's or another, and out playing with our cousins. Because they came from all walks of life, we were introduced to a lot of things at a very young age. Most of the cousins were fighters and not afraid of anything or anyone, and this was exciting for me as I'd always believed that almost everyone was above me, and that I had to show respect to anyone that had more than me or came from a better background.
  6. Although my parents were strict with me and my brother and sister, I was always interested in the grittier side of life, so when my oldest cousin went to prison, I would write letters to him in secret, and he would write back to me at my friend's house, telling me all about life in prison. When my parents found out, I got into serious trouble!
  7. As teenagers, some of my friends started to take drugs. Mainly smoking weed, but some of them sniffed glue or took 'magic mushrooms'. Again, although I didn't partake, it interested me how these drugs affected them, and I enjoyed being in their company just to feel a part of it. Some of my family didn't stop at soft drugs however, and became heroin addicts. This was a whole different, and very frightening, ball game.
  8. I come from a huge gambling family. I mean, honestly, they would bet on anything - and I truly believe that this can be passed down through the generations. I used to have a problem with casino gambling myself.
  9. As soon as I was old enough, I joined the Army. It was the nursing corps, but I wanted to train as a drill instructor. I wanted the thrill of a punishing regime every day, and to feel part of something bigger. I was chomping at the bit to see the world and make my mark, though, in the endI ended up getting pregnant to my first boyfriend and leaving after only 18 months.
  10. As an adult I continued to have an insatiable thirst for learning but I could never seem to leave my roots. This worked out well for me when I started to work with abused children and vulnerable adults, and I loved that I eventually found my voice, in that I could advocate for others. My writing is simply an extension of this and the 'grit' in my novels is firmly embedded in my background.