About

Hello there! Thank you for making your way to my web page. If you are here then you are obviously interested in finding out a little more about me. That’s a little worrying as I think I am actually quite boring, but if you are going to insist on keeping on reading then here goes…….

You already know my pen name, so what else can I tell you? Well, I live in Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire with one husband and two cats called Cordelia and Tigger. Due to health reasons I’m not able to have a job, but try to keep myself as busy as my body will allow with house work (dull, dull, dull), gardening, baking, playing with the cats, renovating an old house (very, very slowly), and of course, writing.

I have always loved a good mystery and have read many such books over the years. As a young teenager I would use my pocket money to buy Nancy Drew books. Over more recent years I have read Sue Grafton’s Alphabet series and I love Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series. Both of these author’s have inspired my own writing, especially Janet.

I was also influenced in my writing by my local area. They say ‘write what you know’, so that’s really what I did. I have lived in the Stoke-on-Trent/Newcastle-under-Lyme area all my life. I worked and studied at Keele University for many, many years and it seemed a great place to base a book. I have used artistic lisense to adapt some of the locations.

Because I have to get plenty of rest I am a bit of a TV boxset junkie. My favourite shows would have to be anything Agathat Christie, ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’, ‘Downton Abbey’, ‘Castle’, ‘Grimm’, ‘Ugly Betty’ and ‘M.A.S.H’. I am also a huge ‘Big Bang Theory’ fan.

As you can see from my TV choices I have quite an eclectic taste. It’s the same with my favourite films and they are: All the ‘Lord of the Rings’ and ‘The Hobbit’ series. I love a good RomCom and old black and white movies. Anything Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, Bette Davis or Doris Day. The last film I saw at the cinema was ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’. Loved it.

I like all sorts of music too, from classical to pop and anything inbetween. Some of my favourite acts are: Michael Buble, Josh Groban, Adele, Barry Manilow, Keane, Tom McRae, Back Street Boys, and Barry White. As I write this I am listening to the sound track from ‘Lord of the Rings’.

I don’t travel a great deal or have the social life I’d like to have. I suffer from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS/ME) and this severely limits what I can do. I try not to feel sorry for myself and focus on what I can do. That’s what has led me to writing. I would like to make a career out of my books. Writing is something that I can work around my health. I won’t dwell on my illness here, but I have created a separate page where I can talk about it more for anyone who may be interested. I like to try to educate people about it and if I can offer any help or support to other sufferers then great.

Right, that’s all for now. Hope you haven’t been too bored. If there’s anything else you’d like to know about me please feel free to ask and I’ll answer if I can.

Best wishes
Annabeth