You could say that I am no stranger to crime. I was born in Kenilworth, Warwickshire where I spent my formative years reading my mother’s true crime books. Having decided against serial killing as a career choice, I practised as a criminal barrister in London for some years and worked as counsellor at Brixton prison, specialising in sex offenders before becoming an academic criminologist.
My experiences in criminal justice have given me insight into the workings of the criminal mind, as have my criminological studies. Being a glutton for punishment I have two PhDs, one in criminology and one in creative writing. I have written two crime novels set in 19th century Turin, featuring the world’s first criminologist Cesare Lombroso. The first, City of Devils won the Good Housekeeping First Novel Prize and was nominated for a Specsavers/Crime Writers Association best read award. The sequel is The Devil’s Daughters. They are both published by Orion.
I also run writing workshops and write short stories with a supernatural theme for publication and performance. I have taken part as a panellist and/or participating moderator and public speaker in various festivals in London, Turin, Portsmouth, Glasgow, Leicester, Harrogate, Belfast and Bristol.
I live with my husband and two eccentric cats in Market Harborough, Leicestershire and am currently working on my next novel. My hobbies, when I’m not scaring people senseless, are eating, drinking and generally having a good time.
Performing a short story at Portsmouth Bookfest.