Meet the Author
- About me…
- I was born in Wigan, England, in an old coal mining and cotton mill town famous for rugby league, football, and pies. I’m the youngest of four siblings, and growing up, my mother was a schoolteacher, and my father was a draughtsman and avid historian. We lived in an old brick house that was literally insulated with books.
- I first discovered my passion for writing in primary school at around age ten. I filled several notebooks with stories about shipwrecks and surviving on desert islands, and illustrated all of them. After several unremarkable years working my way through the ranks of British education, I began to pursue my other life passions: travel and health.
- My first chance to travel abroad came when I was thirteen years old; it was a school trip to France, and I fell in love with Paris. I’ve been fortunate to travel to many interesting countries since then, and meet people from all walks of life—including British royalty, lepers in the Himalayas, and just about everyone in-between. I believe travel is one of the best possible educations a person can have because it makes you realize we are all global citizens living together on this small blue planet.
- As a teenager, I began to study everything I could about health and healing. What started out as a hobby soon turned into a career, and in my early twenties I opened my own Natural Health Clinic, complete with herbal apothecary where I made all my own herbal formulations. This was a particularly enjoyable time in my life and I got to help lots of different people improve, or regain, their health.
- I moved to the United States in 1990 and plunged myself back into studies. I’m a lifelong learner—there are just so many fascinating things to study once you’ve figured out what you’re interested in. I received a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, and went on to teach there as a faculty member. I then received a Masters degree in Natural Health Sciences from the University of Natural Medicine in Santa Fe, New Mexico, whilst completing additional training to become a certified Building Biologist (a person who studies how buildings can make people sick).
- During this time I also became a mother! I now have two children and I homeschool both of them. This way we have a very flexible schedule and can travel wherever we like, whenever we like. Yes, the travel theme continues, and most recently my family and I lived in Mexico for a year. I’m currently back in the U.S., but my toothbrush is always packed and ready to go, and other countries constantly call to me. So when people ask where I live, my best response is to say: “planet Earth.”
- I took up writing again in 2003. Combining my background as a Natural Health Specialist with my training as a Building Biologist, I was inspired to write a book that showed people how to make their homes healthier places to live in. Homes That Heal was my first non-fiction book, published by New Society Publishers in 2004. It’s full of easy to understand information and a lot of fun cartoons! Take a look at Homes That Heal.
- After finishing Homes That Heal, my ongoing research took me in some interesting new directions. I soon realized my next book would actually be a science-fiction novel for young adults (see About the Book for more details). The St. Clair Twins: The Forbidden Truths was released on March 29th, 2009, and I hope you enjoy reading it, immensely!
