Well, where to begin?

I'm 24 (25 this year...crikey!) and now an ex-student, having just finished my final year of French studies...and getting a 2:1 in my degree!! Had a JKR moment when the idea for my story came into my head during a horrible coach journey from Rouen to Newcastle on 30th October/Haloween 2004. Took me four months of thought and um-ing and ah-ing, but I finally decided to write it down and started typing it up in the evenings, after school, on my Dad's laptop and saving it on disk so no one would find it. Left the disk lying around at school one day ('twas in times of yore and floopy disks you see) and nearly died of worry. Thankfully one of my friends found it and kept it for me because it had my initials scrawled on it in pencil. To her I shall be ever grateful. Finally, I got my own laptop for my birthday and could keep it permanently saved and safe and didnt have to wory about disks corrupting etc, which once meant I had to rewrite a whole section.

I discovered fanfiction after getting 100 pages into that first one (which was started without any knowledge that such a community existed!) and that is now a 562 page epic that is still going strong...the end is not in sight because a) I don't know how I want it to end, and b) the thought of ending it is hard because it has been my baby for so long! From that fic, other little ones have spawned and there has been plot-bunnies a-plenty so I tend to divert my time and get distracted, although this is ultimately helpful as it lets me explore wild and, quite frankly, rubbish ideas whilst also giving me time to think about how things in the main story should/could go.

As profiles seem to always be composed of lists of things, here is a small selection -

Books - Harry Potter, Jane Austen, Patricia Cornwell, Karin Slaughter, Lisa Gardner, Harlan Coben, Kathy Reichs, Lee Child...there is quite a list...I never wanted to take English further than I had to because I didn't want it to ruin my love of reading! I have recently discovered the joys of the Twilight Saga...I haven't been able to put them down!!

Films - Harry Potter (although they will never compare to the books), Star Wars, LOTR, Disney (don't care that that I'm old, they represent what was best about childhood), Moulin Rouge, Spirited Away, Enchanted, Twilight, Howl's Moving Castle, Anna and the King, The Devil Wears Prada (omg the shoes!) Hairspray, Star Trek, The King and I, South Pacific and other Rogers & Hammerstein Musicals that no one my age has ever seen and many others but I shall not bore you further.

Favourite Fictional Characters - Jack Reacher, Aragorn, Snape, Lucius Malfoy, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Dumbledore, Neville (and many others from the Harry Potter world), Kay Scarpetta, CJ, Josh Lyman, Toby Ziegler, Donna Moss, Leo McGarry, J.T. Dillon, Darth Vader, Indiana Jones, Han Solo, Anakin Skywalker, Edward Cullen (who am I kidding...all of the Cullens!), Jacob Black, William Tavington, Colonel Brandon, Elizabeth Bennett, Mr Darcy...

Music - Jean Jacques Goldman, Soundtracks (Harry Potter, LOTR, Star Wars, Disney and anything that catches my ear), Moussou T E Lei Jovents, Girls Aloud, The Killers, The Kooks, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Nelly Furtado, Timbaland, Gorllaz, Madonna, Kylie Minogue, Alison Krauss and Union Station, Dixie Chicks, Maroon 5, Oasis, The Pussycat Dolls, Bellowhead, Mutemath, Rammstein, RHCP, Sting, Bromheads Jacket, Bloc Party, The Killers, Amy Winehouse, State Warning, Fleet Foxes, Bic Runga, Paul Kelly...I will search for obscure pieces of music just because they catch my imagination...

Likes - Tea (by the gallon), deformed biscuits, driving, reading at a ridiculous pace, chocolate, drawing, high heels, handbags, looking a beautiful clothes in Vogue that I can never afford, cooking, Facebook, red wine, dressing up, cocktails, empty beaches, old stately homes, music, word games, Scrabble, Paris, travelling, the smell of new carpets and cut grass, looking at flowing water, ducks, the satisfying smell of a clean bathroom/kitchen, the view driving up the military road in Northumberland, smiles, rugby, rugby players(!)...

Pet Peeves - people who don't indicate at roundabouts, people interrupting me when I am trying to speak, rain, football, being late, other people being late and not telling me, bare walls, rain, French people who stand in the middle of the pavement chatting and just don't get out of your way even though you are quite obviously laden with bags, being lonely, not having an oven, writers block...

So that's me.

One final note...if you read my stories, please please please leave me a nice review as it greatly helps with the writing process and motivates me to do it instead of getting distracted by ridiculous things!! Reviews = happiness!!

12/1/12 UPDATE - I'M BACK!!!!