But on my return to Darlington, the idea started niggling at my mind and the urge grew so compelling that I began jotting down notes and ideas on a writing pad.
One pad turned into twelve pads before I realised that I had the makings of a fair sized book before me.

I then realised that my scribbling would have to be transcribed into readable type if I was to progress any further, so I invested in a word-processor and began tapping away with one finger. The final result of my labour was ‘The Wasted Years’.

As any writer will tell you, that isn’t the end of the story. Next I had to find a publisher who liked my story enough to offer me a contract. Nervous, but undaunted by stories of new authors taking years before finding a publisher, if ever, I reminded myself of the number of times The Beatles were turned down before getting that elusive deal.

As it turned out I needn’t have worried, as after only a couple of attempts I was taken on by Judy Piatkus (Publishers) Ltd., and ‘The Wasted Years’ was published in 1992. ‘Ties of Love and Hate’, ‘For better for Worse’, ‘Full Circle’ and ‘A Matter of Trust’ all followed successfully before I moved to Little, Brown Book Group Ltd, my present publisher, who released ‘Playing with Fire’, ‘Best Laid Plans’ and ‘Sworn to Secrecy’.
Each of these titles reached No.1 on the best-seller list in Northern Ireland, serving to establish me as a household name in the region.

I have just finished my latest novel Painful Decisions which is presently in the hands of my agent, Caroline Sheldon. My publisher has informed us that Painful Decisions will be in the main book outlets by the 4th October this year.