My life

I’m a chocoholic who loves waterfalls and words. I’m also rather fond of Vegemite toast, but only when it’s cut diagonally and the butter hasn’t melted — as my kids put it, cold triangles.

Brought up on a lifestyle block in Tamahere, just out of Hamilton in New Zealand/Aotearoa, my early years were filled with ballroom dancing, violin, piano, and singing lessons. Incessant nagging from my brother to go to the air rifle club, probably for him to show off, led to me being selected for the NZ Shooting Team during my late teens to early 20s.

I graduated from the University of Canterbury with a Bachelor’s degree in Speech-Language Therapy (Hons.). Since then, I’ve worked in the hospital setting as well as in schools for children with additional needs. I’m the bizarre one who loves writing therapy reports.

I live in Tauranga, in the sunny Bay of Plenty, with my husband, two children, and our fluffy cat. Along with a passion for words, I have a desire to bring mental health topics out into the open, and to provide hope for those in need. My debut novel, Hannah & Huia, has been published by Quentin Wilson Publishing.