I’ve been writing in one form or another most of my life. It was a no-brainer that a love of the written word combined with a career in education drew me into educational writing for a period (of decades). I like to think of it as a kind of apprenticeship that laid the foundation for and guided me to fiction. My other life as a mother and school teacher has provided plenty of fodder and inspiration for writing.

Recently completing the Associate Degree in Professional Writing and Editing at Melbourne's RMIT University has added to my writing skill set, providing a kind of roadmap that's enhanced my writing projects. I write short stories and flash fiction, but long-form fiction has the bigger part of my heart, perhaps because it's such a long-term investment that stays with you through the thick and thin of life.

I live with my family, two dogs and an assortment of wild parrots in the forested paradise of Victoria's Dandenong Ranges, where our breathtaking environment provides just the right inspiration for my love of writing and nature. When I'm not writing, I'll be walking, birdwatching or dabbling in some art—birds, botanical—anything from our beautiful natural world.