The Rose of Florence

This is where I would like to regale you with tales of my numerous qualifications, awards and accolades in the field of fiction-writing. However, in the interests of honesty, I am unable to do that, as I am a debut author. The Rose of Florence is my first novel, borne of a love for the history, art, and city of Florence, grown over many years.

My background is in healthcare, and I have been a University lecturer since 2010. My writing experience was limited to a Masters dissertation, purely academic, but the research skills I learned during that process were soon put to use in researching my favourite topic, the Italian Renaissance. It didn’t take long before the seeds of a story began to germinate, and The Rose of Florence blossomed.

I joined the Romantic Novelists’ Society and the New Writers’ Scheme (NWS) in 2020 and found the encouragement and resources available taught me so much about the process and skills needed to write fiction. I have been lucky enough to have the support of the same NWS reviewer since joining, and her advice and guidance has proven invaluable. I am also a member of the Society of Authors.

While completing and polishing my work, I also started a website and a Facebook page. The details of these are below.

On a personal level, I live in Cardiff, South Wales, with my husband and two slightly stupid cats. I have two grown-up daughters and a gorgeous granddaughter. When I’m not working, reading or writing, I love to cook; my garden gives me great joy, and at every opportunity, I travel to Italy to eat, drink and absorb the wonderful atmosphere. I like to call that research!