Twin passions: history and the natural environment

I am an emerging author and writer of Australian historical fiction, both short stories and novels. My work develops out of the places I visit and I'm drawn to old buildings that have a story to tell. I am also curious about the natural environment and weave it into my stories.

​

I grew up with English as my second language. At age four my mum sent me off to Kindergarten to learn English. This meant I grew up with a foot in two cultures which has given me a different perspective of the world: that the most obvious view is not the only one. I am driven to give voice to the less obvious, whether that is from a non-east coast perspective, a cultural minority or some ‘other’ perspective.

​

I didn't enjoy learning about history at school because it was about worlds that I couldn't relate to - stories of the Roman Empire, English kings and queens and Egyptian mummies. I wanted to be able to relate to the history I was learning about: what was it like to be a child on Kangaroo Island in 1836, or a servant in the Governor's household on Wadjemup (Rottnest Island). 

​

And still today much of the Australian history we hear about is from the eastern states, so in some small way I want to swing the pendulum a little to the west, to give voice to the stories from South Australia and Western Australia.

​

Several of my short stories have been published and I've got several works in progress.