Coming Home To Concord
“When I was growing up, my favourite fictional character was Jo March, from Louisa May Alcott`s famous book ‘Little Women’. Like Jo, I dreamt of being a writer, and spent all my free time upstairs ‘pegging away’ at my stories.
“Even then, nothing compared with the thrill of creating characters and situations that sometimes seemed more vivid and memorable to me than anything in real life!But it wasn`t until I was about 20 years old that I actually saw my name in print and was actually paid (four guineas) for a short story!
“Many years havepassed since then and in order to support my fiction writing, I have had several professions, ranging from library assistant to local newspaper reporter. Over the last twenty years, up until retirement, I have also served as a priest in the Church of England.
“Altogether, I have soldseveralhundredshort stories and had 20 novels published, but I have always had a soft spot for ‘The People’s Friend’.The magazine reminds me of the pleasures of the past, although it is also refreshingly up to date and deals withmodern-day dilemmas in a very wise as well as an often light-hearted way. That is why I was delighted when I heard that my latest story ‘On Holiday’ would appear in the Summer Special 108, on sale today.
“I am married to a vicar and we have three grown-up children and four grandchildren, as well as a dog called Bella, and Dottie, our black and white cat. My husband, Mark, is from the United States, and on one of our family visits there, he took me to Orchard House in Concord, Massachusetts where Louisa May Alcott wrote her famous book ‘Little Women’. As I stood by her desk and thought about Jo March, I really felt I’d come home!”
