Fiction

I started writing Dancing with the Ferryman immediately after finishing my degree, although I had been planning the plot in my head for nearly a year. The inspiration for the novel came from my experiences of living on Whalsay, however, I should stress that it is not in the least bit autobiographical. All of the characters and some of the places are fictional too. My intention when starting the novel was to create realistic characters and plots, as an antidote to some of the "chick-lit" novels I have read over the past few years, where every character is beautiful and has a glamorous career in the media. My heroine is a slightly chubby civil servant and the love interest in the story is a red-headed freckly ferryman.

My second novel Peace Lily is different in style and genre. It deals with issues of grief, depression, guilt and forgiveness. It is about a family and their close friends who were torn apart by the accidental death of Lily, and the long repercussions the accident has for everyone involved.