Most authors seem to come straight out of the womb with a pencil in their hand and start writing their first novel while breast feeding. This wasn’t the case for me. I hated writing when I was at school. And reading. Come to think of it, I didn’t like Maths much, either. Needless to say, school wasn’t my favourite place.
It wasn’t until I got to university that I was eventually diagnosed with Dyslexia, but by then I’d developed a number of coping strategies, one of which was humour. After graduating with a degree in Geology, I travelled the world for several years, sharing stories and jokes with all the people I met and trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life.
Bizarrely enough for someone who didn’t like school, I decided to become a primary school teacher, which was where I developed a love for children’s books. Making up for lost time, I read everything I could get my hands on, sharing this newfound love with my students.
I also combined teaching with my passion for travelling, living and working in Japan, Italy, the UAE and Colombia. Often, the resources in my school were rather limited, so being resourceful… I began writing my own. And the more I wrote, the more I enjoyed writing. It wasn’t long before I got the idea for a chapter book, which eventually became Barking Mad… winner of the 2015 Tom Fitzgibbon Award and a 2017 Notable Book Award.
After that, I truly caught the writing bug. I’ve written several Bonkers Short Story collections and lots and lots of jokes. One of my joke books—You’re Joking: Become an Expert-Joke Teller—was even shortlisted for the 2021 NZCYA Book Awards.
I’m no longer teaching these days, but I have three daughters of my own who are all in primary school. Plus, I get to visit schools as an author, telling stories, jokes and sharing my author journey. I look forward to meeting your tamariki soon and having a Write Laugh with them!
