I am a British woman and grew up in Yorkshire, England, where I was born. I now spend my life between England, Spain and America with my husband, John. We have a home in both England and Spain, but would dearly love to spend the rest of our years in La Jolla, California, my most favourite place in the world.
Reading was always a big part of my life. I lived in a small, rural village, with a school, church, a general store and a few homes. The main town was about ten miles away, so life was quiet as I grew up. I had a thirst for knowledge and always had my head in a book. I would read anything I could get my hands on. My father encouraged me in this, and he was the first real influence of my life. My school headmaster, Edgar Dawson, was another. He recognised this need in me, and ensured there were always books to read. He would get me to read them out to the younger school children! He gave me an opportunity to begin writing when he put me in charge of the school magazine at the tender age of ten years. He encouraged me to read as much as I could while at school, as well as write essays about “life in the village”, some of which were published in the local newspaper.