I currently have two self-published books, both available on my Etsy site as paperbacks. Making Friends With the Crocodile is also available as an e-book (Google it to find one of the many outlets), while The Night Bus will soon follow it into e-book country. Probably.

My first published novel (June 2016), Making Friends with the Crocodile:

There is an Indian proverb: If you live by the banks of a river, make friends with the crocodile.

Set in India, this is a novel about the corrosive relationship between a mother and daughter-in-law, and the contempt in which that society still holds women. Siddiqa’s son has brought his new wife, Naira, to live with them, so Siddiqa is no longer the lowliest in the household, for she now has a daughter-in-law to assume that role. But when Naira accuses one of her husband’s friends of sexually assaulting her, all their lives begin to spiral out of control.

To tell this story, I took the risk of writing in the first person and narrating the story as a married woman, and am very proud that it has been well-reviewed and praised for its authenticity, especially by Indian female readers.

If it can play a small part in focusing attention on this still-huge problem and encouraging change, I will be more than pleased.

My second book is The Night Bus:

This book is in two parts. A collection of seven short – and not so short – stories, which make up the bulk of the book, followed by a selection of recent poems.

Travel has always been a passion of mine and, one way or another, nearly every piece here is to do with journeys. Some of the stories are quite dark, but the majority of the poems have a lighter touch.

Two stories are set in India; in one, a young man goes in search of a mysterious destiny, while in the other a travelling Englishman becomes embroiled in a chilling disappearance. One story speaks of the support and comradeship of a close-knit island community while another tells of jealous intelligences far older than mankind.

There is one long poem, which gives the title to this collection and tells of a journey across India and into the mountains. There is also a short series of poems about the ancient paths and tracks of Britain; in these, especially, a love of the natural world shines through.

Finally, I am always very grateful for reviews. Reviews sell books, so should you be kind enough to leave a review on Amazon, or Goodreads, or anywhere else that might help other readers to find my books (such as on a giant billboard in the centre of London with colour photographs and flashing lights), I would be very happy indeed and would probably do a little twirly dance to celebrate. Don’t try and picture that, though.