My devotion to the written word began with a golden star; a twinkling prize that I received at the gentle age of 6-years old when I wrote my first story around Peter and the Wolf. Inspired by the sparkle on the page next to my words, I went from writing stories at school to creating my own books from cardboard and paper, fashioned together with string. They were tales of talking strawberries and dancing flowers: imagination and fascination. I would read with determination, hoisting piles of books into a rucksack on weekends, climbing the fence at the end of my parents’ garden and hiding away in the fields beyond to read until darkness captured me.
At University College London I took a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Italian and Business Studies, but my real joy was in writing for the University Magazine. I followed my Undergraduate Degree with a Master of Arts Degree in Journalism, whilst working at Reuters in London as an Editorial Assistant. It was here that I published my first piece of significance. I had been commissioned to write an obituary on Bruce Oldfield, but instead wrote an article detailing his close friendship with Princess Diana. It was published by Reuters globally and picked up as the lead article for The Bangkok Post in Thailand.
During my time as a journalist, I had the privilege of working with some of the most respected companies in the media industry. I moved to Reuters Television from Reuters where I was an Assistant Producer. I then spent time at CNBC Europe working on Squawk Box, before moving to The Financial Times where I won two Merit Awards. I started at the FT as a Reporter, later becoming Deputy Editor of a desk and then a Presenter for FTtv – Financial Times Television. Always looking for new challenges, I asked the FT to send me to Tokyo, Japan. The answer was yes, so off I went. I began my days as a Reporter for the FT before being headhunted by NHK World, Japan’s leading television channel, where I headed the English Programming Division.
A few years later Tokyo led to Hong Kong, and NHK World led to CNN International. During my time in Hong Kong, I took a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Creative Writing and began my first novel. After years of reportage I wanted to investigate a new genre and stretch myself. So decades after I first started making my childhood books, I reverted to trying to create magic on blank pages: illusion, emotion, conflict, excitement, tension and intrigue.
After Hong Kong, I spent two years writing in Singapore before coming home to London. My novel is now complete, and save for a few final revisions and the perpetual search for perfection, it is Publisher ready. An echo to my own travels, the story is set against a backdrop of London, Hong Kong and Rio di Janeiro in Brazil. It’s a tale of devotion and disregard, friendship and yearning, secrecy and deceit, adoration and betrayal. I hope it is a read to remember and one worthy of the little gold star I still dream of.