Journalling, working out, black coffee, dog cuddles, reading, knitting.

daily rituals

Curled up on the couch with my dog, my knitting, a cup of tea and a book. Or doing my nails while watching movies.

YOU CAN FIND ME:

Celery (eww), greyhound and horse racing, misogyny, tequila (don't ask). 

I'm NOT ABOUT:

Because it makes me happy and I can't imagine a life where I don't write.

WHY I WRITE:

I'm a voracious reader, and have been since I was a child. Reading was an escape for me when the world was less than kind. I needed to know that life would get better, and that someone would love me just as I was. I didn't realise it at the time, but romance gave me hope.

I am frustrated at how devalued romance is as a genre. I could rant for days (and actually have, please don't get me started at a dinner party) about the link between the patriarchy and the labels placed on romance. It's such a fundamental part of what makes us human, and yet it's looked down on? Pffft. I will always fight for romance.  It gave me, and so many others, hope when at a low point.

I believe that everyone deserves love. Alien, human, damaged, or (seemingly) perfect. I believe we are all loveable. My stories feature people who are less-than-perfect, doing their best. The setting for my stories is often quite dark. Life is hard (because it is) but there's hope. And the characters who fall in love stand side-by-side against the world. Somtimes they even fight to save it.

I will always fight for romance.

Many of my women characters are scientists and fighters. Why? Because I'm a scientist (I'm a geologist by training and education) and martial artist, and I want to see more representation of women in those roles in fiction. This is my small way of contributing to that.

My stories often feature characters who are neurodivergent (even if not explicitly stated) as I have ADHD and so do a lot of my friends and family. I find it impossible to think in ways that aren't divergent, so I imagine that comes across in my books.