I was born with six fingers on each hand, like Ann Boleyn - and Jessica, in my novel, Changing Brooms. This may mean that I'm a witch, and it's true that I've occasionally made strange things happen.

I was born in Derbyshire, God's own county, and now I live in Somerset, God's other own county. How lucky am I? Two beautiful places. And I went to university in another beautiful place - Durham. After that, I taught English in Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Somerset. Then I worked with young offenders for a few years, and I've recently been working with students at Exeter University, helping them with their essay writing skills. My first book was published in 2003.

I like toast, strawberries, and certain muffins. (Just in case you ever happen to be there, the ones at Exeter St David's railway station are absolutely delicious.) My favourite colour is blue. I have three very tall children, one very small grandson, and a fantastic dog called Jessie. I can't catch, and if I throw a ball people duck in terror. Jessie, on the other hand, is a brilliant fielder. She could easily play cricket for England.

I don't like heights - and I'm not just talking mountains here, I'm talking motorway flyovers and bridges over deep rivers!