Author

Originally born in Edinburgh, I grew up in the North West of England, went to the universities of Manchester and Oxford, specialising in 17th-century Spanish comic drama. 

Although I started out as a translator, I escaped via a turbulent and circuitous route of journalism and educational publishing to expand my interests to include botanical history, science fiction, local history, architecture, cocktails, wine-making and avoiding DIY. I’m also a fan of Insular art and other early Medieval stuff inspired by my daughter Lauren, a History of Art graduate and MA student at Edinburgh. 

I returned to writing to combat the ‘empty nest’ syndrome and I’m now the author of several novels and stories. Half my books are historical fiction, while the rest are fantasy adventures, such as Ice Trekker, now reissued. Another title, Half Life, is a co-production with my husband, Rob Deeth, a newly-retired (although you wouldn’t know it) professor of inorganic computational chemistry and flying buff. Along with Dark Interlude, this is also re-released on Amazon. Other titles include Tomorrow's Anecdote, a newsroom mystery; True Haven, a Regency fantasy adventure; and Cloud Pearl, the first of a six-part fantasy series, The Legends of Liria.

Just for fun, I wrote an anthology of short stories on a supernatural theme, going through the seasons; A Walk in the Park; Last Spring; Midsummer Glen and Equinox (a bonus edition featuring all four). The Deed Box is a macabre tale and not in the least auto-biographical. No, no, no.

My father was a writer and I was proud to edit the first of his Cold War thrillers, Not With a Whimper. 
 

Currently, I am working on The Blackfern Conspiracy, an action-packed sequel to The Lost Orchid, as well as a dark murder mystery called Machiavelli’s Acolyte, set in 17th-century Eastern Europe, introducing the death-magnet, Viktor Radislav. 

Of course, that’s not his real name.