I’ve always thrived on challenges. If a job’s too easily mastered – why wouldn’t you get sick of it?

Maybe this is why I’ve never stayed in a job for longer than four years in my life? Except for writing; and in particular, writing for young people.

It’s been 10 years now – the longest I’ve ever stayed focused on one thing – the pushing, pulling, pinching and punching of words like lumps of clay, molding them into coherency, thought and feelings until something magical happens – not every time, just enough to taste the drug of success.

I’ve been asked the question: ‘Why do you want to write stories?’

The short answer – I can’t stop.

Mind you, there are times when it’s like pushing jelly uphill. On other days, the words fly on silver wings.

That’s the beauty, the thrill and the curse of being a committed writer. On the good days I swear there’s no better job in the world. Yeah, even on the bad days too.

I started another story after I submitted my first completed manuscript. Rejection letters arrived and rewrites followed, but because I had an ongoing project on the go, writer’s block never freaked me out. There was always another story to work on when the jelly rolls back downhill.

If you’re interested, the WORKS IN PROGRESS page dips into extracts from some of my unpublished stories (which will be published one day!)