I’ve been a terminal bookworm since I first learnt the joy of reading, often after ‘lights out’ with a torch under the bed covers! For me, it was a natural progression to turn one passion into another, and I dreamt of becoming a writer for several decades.
First of all though, I followed my mother and grandmother’s footsteps into the world of nursing and the NHS which took many forms, including a move from the North of England to the South West.
The biggest change was in 2007, when factors beyond our control, forced my husband and I to take a big risk. We packed up our life in the UK and moved to a small house in Le Marche, central Italy. The house had been our pension plan, but we couldn’t afford both. So the choice was made; not an easy one with five sons between us, two grandchildren and my ageing parents.
However, despite the distance, I have no regrets. The biggest bonus was that I was able to turn my attention to writing fiction instead of business proposals and change management policies. As well as learning how to be more self sufficient with growing our own vegetables – think ‘The Good Life’ with a twist of foreign culture and language – I set up an online writing group called Writers Abroad.
In the last few years, writing under the pseudonym of Louise Charles I’ve published three historical novels and one contemporary novel. My pseudonym comes from my second name and Simon’s second name, very appropriate as he is my biggest fan.
We have myriad animals including one large Italian Maremma (sheepdog), two springer spaniels, seven cats and four chickens. We also have a camper van, fondly called Bobbus (a nickname of my dearly departed Dad) which we purchased as a contingency plan following the earthquakes here in 2016. Little did we know that out of that terrifying and tragic time we would come to love travelling with some of our canine and feline friends.
And now, I’m taking another journey. Into the world of fantasy… and I’m hoping you’ll join me. But in the meantime, here are a few pics of our clan.
