AUTHOR

My writing career began around age two, when I would draw page after page filled with stick figure characters. my mother used to sit with me, and I'd explain to her who the characters were and what they were doing in each picture.

In early primary school my teachers were amazed by my art skills; my drawings were very detailed for my age. I'd use my toys to create stories as well. I pretended our house was a faraway land of vast plains, mountains, rivers and kingdoms in the sky.
I was discovering a wonderful passion inside me, and expressing it with the resources I had available to me as a child.

Yet amidst my emerging talent, my early childhood was challenged with learning difficulties. When I was nine I was diagnosed with epilepsy, and the medication I was prescribed made me drowsy and dulled my thinking. I fell asleep in school and at home I had to be reminded to complete simple daily tasks like brushing my teeth.

Although my health improved once I stopped taking the medication, I was by this stage extremely shy and self-conscious, and struggled to build friendships. I'd come home from school each day and spend hours in my bedroom, drawing pictures and writing a few simple sentences underneath each picture. It was an escape for me, something I could do well aside from all the things it seemed I couldn't do well.

Not everyone has been supportive of my writing passion. Family members who I thought at the time should support me told me that writing wasn't a sustainable career choice. I'll never forget the day I was told, "Only the best writers get published.' I thought, 'Don't you believe I could be one of them?' It was difficult to hear, yet I stayed true to my passion and didn't let anyone destroy my dream of becoming a successful writer. I chose only to listen to those people who encouraged me, including my mum.

I left school at year ten, and by age seventeen I'd completed a correspondence writing course. By my eighteenth birthday I had written several short stories and rough novel manuscripts. My mum tirelessly helped me with re-reads and editing. When I started winning places in competitions, I engaged an editor and several good friends who read my work and give me feed back.

The world is my playground when it comes to writing. I often find myself coming up with creative, poetic descriptions about people on the train, and places and objects I see throughout the day. Some of my short stories revolve around people experiencing a unique moment in their lives, and others are more suspenseful.  Sometimes the story may be inspired by a minor character I see in a movie, and I think that their story would be interesting to explore on its own.

I will be self publishing a sequel to The Wilted Rose in early 2013 and a collection of my short stories in late 2013. It is an exciting experience, and I'm enjoying every moment of my journey as a young writer.