I have always loved fantasy, losing myself in imaginary worlds and engaging with flawed characters who are not squeaky clean heroes or heroines. I loved the Dragonlance Series by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hackman, of course my favourite character was Raistlin Majere. Current books I love are by Mark Lawrence, his Prince of Thorns trilogy especially, Joe Abercrombie and The Blade Itself, T Kingfisher and the Clockwork Boys, and books by Jen Williams and my new favourite David Wragg and his book The Black Hawks.

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Apart from reading, I love writing, painting and gardening - probably in that order.

The Widening Gyre is my first book and I have hugely enjoyed creating the characters and developing the world. None of my characters are without flaws, but my favourite has to be Ria, a ruthless egocentric who trusts no one.

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The theme of the book is justice and the unfairness of an accident of birth which shapes a character and how experiences alter a person for the better, or twist them into a darker version of what they might have been.

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Although set in a fantasy world this story is inspired by my work with disadvantaged people and understanding how we are shaped by our environment, experiences and others' perceptions.

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People can and do change, given the opportunity and respect, not easily or quickly but slowly their world view can shift and it starts with an interaction.

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In my story the characters are forced to confront their world view.

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I am currently writing book two and my characters, as usual, have a will of their own and are changing the story as I write it - so much for plotting this one carefully!

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My thanks to friends in my writing groups and to my beta readers for all your support and ideas, especially Eileen Sinclair and Jenni Clarke who are both writers but still find the time to brainstorm with me.

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