Annie began to make up stories in her head on the long walks home from school, long car journeys to visit her grandparents in Suffolk, and during long spells of illness which kept her in bed.

Her parents took her to the local library every Saturday. Her home was always full of books. During school holidays, the whole family loved to visit stately homes and ruined castles. As soon as they got home, Annie and her older sister would either dress up as lords and ladies and romp around the garden, or, if it was raining, draw intricate plans of their very own imaginary stately home, complete with secret tunnels and a maze in the extensive grounds.

Her love of stories meant that when she was old enough to go to university, she chose to do English literature. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to do beyond that, but meeting a handsome student of maths, who was also the owner of a very powerful motorbike, helped her make up her mind. She married him, and followed him to Manchester, where he took his doctorate.

For many years Annie felt it was important to stay at home to raise her two children, but one day, when the youngest was at senior school, she began to wonder if all those daydreams that had kept her mind occupied whilst carrying out mundane chores, would provide similar pleasure to other women.

Her first attempt at working one of her story lines into a manuscript that she could send to publishers took almost two years, mainly because she kept tearing it up and starting all over again. Having to get a job to help pay school fees and university tuition for her children didn’t help either. This first completed novel was rejected by every single publisher she sent it to, but by this time, writing had become an addiction.

It is a great relief that she has finally got a novel published, as all she wants to do is write. Having to go out to work to earn money has been really getting in the way!