Born in Melbourne, I live on the Surf Coast, once referred to as the Shipwreck Coast. Before becoming a writer, I danced professionally. As a devoted reader, I then swapped my dance shoes for pen and laptop and embarked on a journey with my imagination as muse.
When creating Thornhill Trilogy, I extracted inspiration from Jane Eyre by imbuing Aidan Thornhill with some of Rochester’s brooding presence, and Clarissa Moone with Jane’s smart, calming nature, and love of drawing.
The idea for Take My Heart, arrived after learning of Shelley’s sad fate. Following the poet’s drowning, Lord Byron built a funeral pyre. As Shelley’s body burned, a friend reached into the flames and pulled out Shelley’s heart. That gruesome image of a torn heart informed the premise for this story, which to date is my favorite. The theme revolves around the haunting nature of obsessive love.
As a lover of the Gothic novel, I couldn’t resist making the Yorkshire Moors the birthplace of Blake Sinclair in Dark Descent into Desire. Before moving to London, he grew up in Raven Abbey, a Gothic castle surrounded by a whispering wood, the inspiration of which I drew from Radcliffe. Although he escapes to London where he becomes a successful tycoon, his shadowy past threatens his destiny. The story revolves around Sinclair’s obsession with an impoverished artist, Penelope Green, who goes to the heart and soul of this damaged and private man.
