Read an extract | Background to the book | Buy on Amazon

The Birds, the Bees, and Other Secrets, my latest novel, was published on the 1st August 2008 by Macmillan New Writing.

The novel was inspired by the life of my own lively, wonderful and often outrageous mother, who managed to find inspiration and joy in a life which was fraught with pain and problems. The mother in this book is not my mother, but the spirit and the humour are entirely hers.

They say that everyone has a book in them, and I hope that I have several. But if I had only one, it would be this one. It isn’t an autobiogrpahy, but I have put into the book many of the experiences which have made me who I am , and I learnt a great deal about myself (and other people) while I was writing it. It is not a book I could have written when I was young for it was born out of a lifetime of relationships (daughter, lover, mother, wife, grandmother, friend) and emotions (love, grief, anger, despair and joy). It is dedicated to my own mother, who despite everything she suffered, lived life to the full and brought humour and love into so many lives.