The Story Behind the Stories

If you’ve been hanging around here for a while, you probably already know this — but spoiler alert: I’ve already written the entire Bunyip Jones series. And the one that follows it. And I’m currently working on another… with ideas for two more waiting in the wings.

For me, writing isn’t just my happy place — it’s practically a compulsion. If I go too long without it, I get depressed and weird.

Well, weirder than usual.

I’ve always written. When I was a kid, I filled exercise books with stories, all in pencil (because I didn’t have my “pen licence” yet). Then came our first home computer, and that was it — I was obsessed. My poor mum would yell at me to go to bed, but I’d still be tapping away until the small hours, desperate to get every idea down before it disappeared.

Over the years, I’ve written dozens of books. Most of them are truly terrible, some are okay, and a few are so bad they’ll never see the light of day. At least, that’s what I think. Others disagree.

I was in high school when someone first told me I should publish something. My English teacher, Ms Wydell, read a 5,000-word short story I’d written for fun (while everyone else handed in their 300-word assignments — mine was closer to 500; I’ve never been good at word limits).

She gave it back the next day, eyes wide, and said she couldn’t put it down. She told me I should look into publishing — that I was good enough even back then.

Of course, I didn’t.

Then there was career week. I told the school guidance counsellor I wanted to be a vet. He smirked and said my maths was too awful for that. So I said, fine — my backup plan was to be a novelist.

He actually laughed.

Then he told me how impossible it was to get published, how even the best writers were rejected over and over, and suggested I set my sights on something “more realistic,” like being a secretary or a housewife.

It was the 80s. Misogyny was high. What did he know, right?

Still, it took the wind out of my sails. I didn’t do either of those things, but I did quietly tuck that dream away for a long time.

Instead, I spent 25 years working for an animal charity — helping dogs heal, shy cats find their courage, and all sorts of animals find their happy endings. I saw some awful things in those years — the worst of what people can do — but I also saw the best: kindness, empathy, and people who refused to look away. Those people inspired me.

And through it all, I kept writing.

I had what I called my “endless project” — something I just kept adding to. Last time I checked, it was over 100 chapters and at least 350,000 words long. Nope, you’ll never see it (at least not in that form). I also wrote short stories, under 10,000 words. Same deal — they’re staying hidden.

From time to time, I’d ask friends to read my stuff.

One of them — a friend I’ve known since we were nine — knew how reluctant I was about sharing my writing. So one day, she just… published one of my stories on Amazon. Under a pseudonym, of course.

And just like that, my world opened up.

I discovered indie publishing — no rejections, no agents, no gatekeepers, complete creative control.
Where do I sign up?

Before long, I was writing The Bunyip Jones Adventures, and it just kept growing.

Still, it took until I’d finished the first drafts of the entire series before I found the courage to hit “publish.” And that’s when I learned something important: indie publishing has its downsides too.

Sure, I had total creative freedom — but that also meant I had to do everything. Writing. Editing. Cover art. Publishing. Marketing.

And let me tell you — for an introvert who already thinks they’re a bit of a mess (despite everyone else insisting otherwise), promoting your own books feels completely alien.

Marketing is hard.

I can write thousands of words without blinking, but ask me to make a reel? Instant panic.

Still, I’m out here doing my best — awkwardly, inconsistently, but always honestly.

So to you — my readers, my friends, my unexpected cheerleaders — thank you. Whether you’ve bought a book, left a review, visited this site, or even just said a kind word online, please know this: you’re the reason I keep going.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you. 💛