HELLO…

…and welcome! She Came to Stay is my first novel, and it’s a book I felt I had to write.

My parents travelled from Cyprus to England separately in the 1950s, met and  - after knowing each other a few weeks  -  got married. It always struck me as a brave move to come here, especially for my mother who was a 26-year-old seamstress from a rural background, with no English. My parents’ story was a happy one; they married, had a much better life than they could have dreamt of in Cyprus, had my sister, then me and, though times were often hard, they never questioned that coming here had been the right thing to do. 

But I’ve often wondered what would have happened if they’d fallen in with the wrong people, or taken a wrong turn? This is that story. 

Myself, I’ve never quite felt completely British or Cypriot, but I’ve always felt a Londoner. I grew up in Camden, then Elephant & Castle, Finsbury Park, Tottenham and I now live in Ealing. So I’ve lived north, south and west. East London is like another country to me.  

I grew up always knowing I was different. This was confirmed by everyone I met, from classmates to strangers and teachers. I had a funny name for a start, and I read too much. I had parents who hardly spoke any English and shoved koftes and halloumi into my packed lunches (1970s Elephant & Castle was still reeling from the wonders of instant hot chocolate). And then there was the red hair – an aberration that confounded everyone. 

Today, I’m an award-winning editor and journalist and my writing has appeared in many publications, including the Guardian, the Observer, Marie Claire, Red and Stella. I’ve written on a wide range of topics including adoption, relationships, travel, self-development, the arts and women's health. I’ve also edited national magazines and am now a freelance writer/editor.  

If you’ve read She Came to Stay, I’d love to know your thoughts. You can email me via my contact page. And if you can leave a review on Amazon and Goodreads, that would be great - reviews can make a real difference. Thank you!