What was your favourite book as a child?

The first books I can remember devouring as a child were ‘The Baby Sitters Club’ series by Ann M Martin. I loved all the teenage drama, and relatable characters. Growing up, they were a great escape.

Do you write for yourself or for a particular audience?

I write for women, but that doesn’t mean men wouldn’t enjoy my books too. I enjoy writing about everyday challenges women face in a light hearted and humorous way. It brings me great joy to make people laugh.

Is there anything specifically Australian about your book/books?

Oh, absolutely. I have a wicked sense of humour, and enjoy sharing the often whacky Aussie sense of humour with the rest of the world. We don’t tend to take ourselves too seriously, and I love that about us. The books also contain lots of Aussie slang. Maybe, I should include a glossary at the back for readers from other counties lol. I had an email from a reader telling me that she had to google the words Bogan and Bottlo.

My stories are always located in Australia, and feature my home city of Sydney. ‘Making March’ is set in Sydney. One of my upcoming books titled ‘Scattered Scones’ features an impromptu road trip from Adelaide to Sydney. Melbourne also features. My other upcoming book titled ‘Not Dead Yet’, tells the story of seventy-one year old Mary, who sells up her home in Sydney and moves to a retirement village in sunny Queensland.

Are there any passages you’d like to read on air to give listeners a sample of your writing?

One of my favourite chapters in ‘Making March’ is called ‘Ding Dong Delivery’, where our protagonist forgets she ordered a great big dildo at a recent sex toy party, following the ingestion of too much booze. A good looking courier driver comes to deliver it, and she is extremely embarrassed.  At the bottom of the box, there is a brochure advertising life size male sex dolls, and curiosity gets the better of her. I won’t give too much away, but this is how the chapter concludes: 

Now, back to the product at hand. If an oversized creepy-looking doll with a realistic penis is your kind of thing, I suppose that could be OK. Look at it this way, it’s got to be better than having your neighbours call the police to your door as they think they may have heard a loud gunshot, as you leapt onto your blow-up doll, and it popped.

What’s the best response you’ve ever had to your writing?

Late last year, I left a copy of each of my books at a local café’s little free book exchange, for readers to enjoy. About a month or so later, I received an email from an older lady called Heather via my author website, telling me she is a fellow local who picked up, and read both of my books. She was surprised to find out from the author bio, that I was an Aussie author who lived in her local area. She wanted to tell me that after losing her husband she had felt depressed, and my books made her laugh for the first time in a very long time.

I was very touched by her message, and met up with her at the same café, a couple of weeks later. She is now a friend, who I catch up with on a regular basis. Not only did I gain a fan of my work, I found a new friend, which is priceless.

What book are you reading at the moment?

I am almost finished reading ‘To Love, Honour, and Betray’ by English/ Australian comedian, Kathy Lette. Our protagonist Lucy moves from England with her husband Jasper, when he is offered a job in Australia for a year. They arrive in Australia, and not long after, Jasper leaves Lucy for her best friend Renee, who also arrives out of the blue. Her husband then moves in with Renee, leaving Lucy with two teenage daughters, all alone in a new country.

It tackles real life issues while also being light hearted, and entertaining. I am really enjoying it. I also love that it is mainly set in Cronulla, in Sydney’s Sutherland Shire, as it is where I grew up. I know all the places and landmarks the author references throughout the book, which felt like coming home for me.

Who helped you most when you were starting out?

The best thing I did was join Twitter. The most support and advice I have received, has been from other self-published authors on the platform. I have discovered the writing community as a whole, is one of the most supportive communities out there.

Who would you most like to read your book as an audiobook?

I would have to say Toni Collette. She is one of my favourite Australian actors.