I grew up in Bracknell in Berkshire in a house with lots of people and lots of books. My family and I still swap books whenever we see each other and one of my brothers also writes. 

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When I went to university, I moved to the North-West for my degree, then Swansea for my teacher training. The germ of the idea for A Silent Song grew from experiencing different cultures, particularly struggling with living in a very musical community when I really find singing and performing music very difficult.

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I came to East London to teach in the late nineties, where I remain, although the schools and roles have changed over the years. I'm passionate about seeing children enjoy reading and writing. One of the things which makes me happiest is when I have introduced children to a book and I see one of them get another book by the same author because they enjoyed the first one.

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