Biography

I was born and grew up in London, but have spent the last fifteen years or so in the West Country. I read History of Art at Leicester University, but I really wanted to be an actor so after graduating, I trained at The Drama Studio London. I worked as an actor for three years doing lots of lovely things from rep theatre in Ipswich, Chester, York, Leicester and Coventry, to the West End.

I was lucky enough to play Rodney's girlfriend Vicky (the one before the one he married) in the BBC's Only Fool's and Horses. It was a wonderful experience, but I decided that fifteen minutes of fame was quite enough so I left acting. At first I wrote non-fiction, then about ten years ago I decided to change direction and did the Creative Writing MA at Bath Spa University. While on the course I wrote the first (but not the last) draft of Adultery for Beginners.

I now live half the time in the Georgian city of Bath and the other half in the Cornish seaside town of St Ives. Most of my life is spent reading, writing or teaching creative writing. I love being a writer. It took some time but I think I've finally found what I want to do when I grow up.

10 facts about me...

1. I have a City and Guilds qualification in Bricklaying.

2. My family emigrated to the USA when I was a baby so I first went to school in California.

3. I once temped for the Lib Dems but couldn't work out how to operate their phone system. I was too frightened to ask so when my boss went into the next room, I escaped out of the window.

4. My cat is called Burnt Toast and Marmalade and weighs over a stone.

5. I've won a Countdown teapot.

6. When I was a teenager I had a crush on Prince Rupert of the Rhine.

7. As a child I ate apples whole because I couldn't bear to leave what I was reading to put the core in the bin, and the habit has stuck.

8. My favourite authors are Anne Tyler and Elizabeth Goudge.

9. I hate red wine, mushrooms and blue cheese.

10. When I last moved house, I needed one removal van for the furniture and another for the books - I've got over 10,000 of them.