Books We Love Insider Blog: the stars and us

I never thought too much about my star sign and its significance until later in life. It is very strange that out of a family of ten children only two of us were Scorpios and as far back as I can recall I was told how like my sister Joan I looked, and I was born on the 9th November and she on the 14th. We certainly bore similar characteristics in that she was ambitious and liked to get her own way. My husband always joked that the females in our family were all bossy and liked to get in the last word. She was very good at her chosen profession and I like to think that I was in mine. I certainly can’t abide being a failure at anything, although have to cede that I am no good at sports. The only sporting activity I did relatively well in was horse-riding.

These quotes are taken from my on-line Scorpio profile:

“It is true, Scorpio's can be argumentative and pack a powerful sting, but that's simply because they see all opposition as a healthy challenge.”

So, you see, it’s true what my husband always told me, I loved getting in the last word with any argument he set before me. We argued most days during our very long time together.

“They prefer their own company over those of others, and are quite okay with solitude.”

Ah, so that explains why I became a writer, because I love spending days alone with my computer and just my dogs for company. And I do recall as a child that I spent a lot of time playing alone with my dolls and enjoying it. I still talk to myself, although nowadays I pretend I am talking to my dogs. I had imaginary friends and fairies to keep me company.

I also like studying my life path, and I found out my birth tree is a Walnut Tree—the tree of Passion. Here's another quote:

“Unrelenting, strange and full of contrasts, often egoistic, aggressive, noble, broad horizon, unexpected reactions, spontaneous, unlimited ambition, no flexibility, difficult and uncommon partner, not always liked but often admired, ingenious strategist, very jealous and passionate, no compromises.”

Yes, that’s me. See, again no flexibility, but I like the part about ‘ingenious strategist’

But this started out as me telling you something about myself. I’m a bit of an open book really. I was born in North London, last in a family of ten. My parents were honest battlers, both strong, well-loved gentle folk. I only have a handful of memories of my father as in those days (we are going back a long way) the men worked 6 days a week. The holidays were few and far between, with no such thing as medical benefits. I can’t recall him having a day off work during my childhood. He passed away when I was just 12, which was a tragedy for our mother, as after years of surviving two world wars and the depression, times were only then becoming easier.

I left school at 15 years old and can only guess it was so that I could bring in some money to help with the household costs. It certainly wasn’t because I longed to get out of school as I loved it, especially the art class, and geography (loved drawing the maps) and English class as I loved to write what we called compositions and are now called essays, or short stories. There was no mention of going on to college as that was not even considered by working class folk, unless you were fortunate enough to earn a scholarship.

I can’t boast that I tried many jobs and earned many skills, as after only a year working in the school laboratory as an assistant, and trying an office job in a laundry for a few months, I went to work for my sister who was now in charge of the workroom in a clothing manufacturing company (that’s the fellow Scorpio mentioned above).

After working my way through the jobs in the cutting room I graduated to pattern cutting and that is where I stayed for the next 20 or so years. I did have my own designing and dressmaking business for a few years when first coming to Australia, but soon found it was more profitable for me to work regular hours for regular wages than to work up to 10/12 hours a day for myself, sometimes 7 days a week. It was a learning curve and fun while it lasted, but proved to me that I was not a clever business woman, albeit a hardworking one.

Through all these years I was an avid reader but it was only when I retired early due to spinal problems that I set about writing full time. I have to thank my husband for that as he encouraged me in all ways.

The writing journey has been an eventful and fulfilling one. It has also introduced me to many friends and fellow writers, most of whom I have never met face to face and never will meet, as the likelihood of me travelling to the USA or Canada where my fantastic publisher Books We Love is situated is a pipe dream. I am not a good traveler and have only been back to England once in almost 50 years of living in Australia. I couldn’t take sitting up there for all those hours in a flying tin can more than once. I have flown since, but only within Australia. And why is it that every time I decide to use the toilet the plane hits turbulence and leaves me fearing the small cubicle where I am sitting will fall off.

I’ve always written what I love to write and never followed trends of any sort. Perhaps that was a mistake, but I still have faithful readers who have been with me from those early days and hopefully garnered a few new ones along the way.

Details of all my books can be found on my web page: