We all have things we like doing, and things we don’t. I’ve never been able to master ice-skating or knitting (not for want of trying!), but I‘ve always loved writing.
I still have a school exercise book in which 11-year-old me declared that when I was 21, I would be writing books, and starring in my own TV show. I wrote my first (unpublished!) novel that summer, scribbling in notebooks on Cornish beaches – a dramatic tale set in a boarding school, and rather too heavily influenced by Enid Blyton. (I never got to be a TV star – the nearest I came was joining a staff amateur dramatic group during a brief period working at the BBC!)
Since those early days, I’ve been a newspaper reporter and sub-editor, and a magazine feature writer. I’ve written everything from romantic fiction to advertising copy and case studies for businesses. My website, www.cornishgardenstories.co.uk, chronicles my visits to around 100 gardens in Cornwall. I’m now the joint editor – with my husband and fellow journalist Darren – of St Ives Local magazine.
So how can I help you?
Copywriting
I know what attracts interest, what makes news, and what sells. I can create compelling and lively words to tell the story of your business, whether you need press releases, leaflets and other publicity material, or website content.
Editing and proof reading
I can check anything you’ve written – no document too small, or book too large! – to make sure it’s error-free and reads well. I love helping writers to make their work the best that it can possibly be.
Ghostwriting
I can write in your voice, so that every word reads as though you wrote it. Spooky!
Research
Cornwall is my specialist subject, and I can give you background information to help you promote your Cornish product, or assist you with family history research.
I’m descended from generations of miners and bal maidens, and I’m currently working with a couple of my cousins to research the life of our ancestor Henry Symons, a tin miner who made a fortune during the Nevada gold rush, lost it all, and returned to Camborne, where he married one woman and then set up home with another!