I wrote my first novel aged 14, a 900 page Jilly-Cooper-style romp entitled Players. In the words of my best friend at the time: ‘The only thing worse than the sex scenes are the football scenes.’ Then teenage life, partying, exams and University took over.

I left Oxford wanting to write for money, and ended up getting a job with Lesley Pollinger as her assistant. It was then I realised that I wanted to write fiction specifically for young adults. I enrolled on an evening class at the City Lit, a term later got a place on the Birkbeck Creative Writing MA, and hammered out the first draft of‘In Bloom in six weeks for a competition. I’m now in the second year of my MA. I work part-time at an authors’ and actors’ agency, do media work for mental health charities, follow Formula 1 assiduously, watch my garden birds and enjoy myself as much as possible. I’m so happy to have the time and space in which to write.

WORK IN PROGRESS

• In Bloom