In February 2000 I turned 30 and realised that I wasn't going to be getting any younger anytime soon.  I'd always dreamt of writing but had never allowed myself to truly take the idea seriously. 

But everything else felt very stuck too - and sometimes you have to do something drastic to reclaim your life! In February 2001 I chucked in my job, sold my flat and that summer I set off to Brazil for three months.  I figured if I was going to spend some time writing I should at least do it somewhere beautiful and inspirational!  (See Pictures!)

I stayed for a while with a friend in Sao Paulo then rented small seaside apartments in Guaruja and then Rio de Janiero and wrote my first attempt at a novel - A Case of Pomba Gira.  A kind of road trip story about a young english woman woman researching the brazilian religion Umbanda - it wasn't fabulous - but I had gotten all the way to 80,000 words.

But I was out of money so had to go on home and get a proper job - Boo!

I signed on to do the MA in Creative Writing at the University of Northumbria in Newcastle in 2003.  The course focussed on both prose and script and during the two years I had opportunities to write short plays and had some of my short stories published in anthologies.

Then in 2005 I started writing the novel that would become Everything You Ever Wanted.

I graduated from the MA and in February 2006 my first full length stage play Green Beans was produced which was amazing,terrifying and wonderful.

Tonto Books published my short story Freshers in Summer 2006 and then a Christmas story called Possibilities in Dec 2006.  They also selected a story of mine called Seahouses for another anthology in 2007.

The first draft of Everything You Ever Wanted completed I sent it via New Writing North to The Literary Consultancy who were very enthusiastic and encouraging.  My writing life seemed busier - I was being asked to read at events like Pulp Net, Darlington Fiction Week, Durham Literary Festival and others.

In amongst all of this were the habitual rejections, snubs, setbacks and humiliations...being a new writer is a turbulent business - One agent rang in the morning desperate for the rest of my novel immediately, they were so excited!! - They then emailed me later that day simply saying 'No.' 

In January 2008 Tonto Books said that they would like to publish Everything You Ever Wanted.  The deal included a three month mentoring scheme to help me bring the novel to it's full potential. 

And that's where I am now.  In the process of redrafts of the novel - and anxiously anticipating the launch in August 2008.

Oh and thinking about the next novel...desperate to get cracking on it.

I'll be blogging the whole experience and adding in stories and other bits and pieces as I go along.  I hope everyone enjoys the ride...

Wish me luck xx