Claire's Bio & Contact Details

The first thing I saved up for (with the meagre stipend my parents referred to as ‘pocket money’) was my very own copy of Johanna Spyri’s book Heidi. It came from a local shop which not only acted as the post office and haberdashers, but boasted a small section at the rear where you could buy second hand books. From the moment I took ownership of that hardback book with the lolly pink cover and intoxicating musty odour, I knew books would become a feature of my life.

But apart from the times at school when I was required to write the odd essay (and believe me, some were!) it was other people’s writing which held my attention. My penchant for writing only came in my late twenties and, giving credit where it’s due, my children were the inspiration I needed. No, I didn’t use them as subject matter - well, hardly at all. But being stuck at home as a young mother refereeing sibling stoushes and sewing scout badges onto sleeping bags, I needed a creative outlet for the grain of sanity I was desperately clinging on to. Some of these early efforts were accepted by a local newspaper and I’d really like to say that from these small beginnings, I was inspired to churn out literary gems.

But, no! Life got in the way and I went back to reading other people’s work and limiting my writing to shopping lists and apologies to teachers.

It wasn’t until I was faced with the difficulty of accepting my Mother’s dementia that I even considered attacking something which could be regarded as a book, and once this was written and finally published, writing became an important part of my day.

I live in South Australia in the suburb of Glenelg, and although it is known for its wonderful beach, we would have to scale the roof of our townhouse, lean precariously to the right and use a vast amount of imagination to actually see the sea! But as I have some of my better ideas when I’m close to water, I am prepared to drive the three kilometres every day for my beach walks and hopefully, literary inspiration.

Children (three sons) are long since grown up and Garry/HoN (Husband of Narrator) and I are permitted to share the townhouse with a rather precious ‘fur-child’ named Tansy, who feels she earns her Fancy Feast by playing editor to my author.