My family settled in Bermuda from the south of England in the early 1600s and have become prosperous on the island, firstly from mercantile shipping and later through banking. Although born into a conservative white (but generally kind and fair) old colonial family, I have mostly felt like a liberal misfit who relishes performing onstage as a mimic and soul singer. These are probably my only natural creative talents and this is truly when I feel completely whole. However, years of battling crippling chronic fatigue syndrome (ME) have largely steered me away from performing and into another creative (and softer) vent–that being writing. Although not my natural talent, I have found huge solace from writing. It was something that stirred me deeply from as far back as childhood. Creative writing was always my favorite subject at school. The books I generally read are about biography and history. I generally do not read fiction, unless classic.
Because of my chronic illness, I have lived largely in the past, my own and my family’s. My heritage became hugely absorbing for me. Chronicling my family’s rich history and folklore found its way into many of my books. Bermuda history in general has also became a huge component in my writing. I live in my family home, dating back to 1800, so naturally my past would be strong in me. I suppose it has only become natural that my life’s passion for delving into my heritage would somehow have to find its way onto the written page. It certainly has, and in a good many of my books. I have also written about Bermuda’s ghosts–my own house is haunted, and about my life’s experiences, some of which have verged on the supernatural. Nature plays a large component in my writing. My love of big trees and butterflies and stormy nights creeps into my books. Dealing with my chronic illness appears in a big way in my writing, too, and describing this may have helped others dealing with debilitating illnesses. I don’t know. I’m sure that dealing with my ambiguous feelings as they concern my sexual and romantic inclinations have inspired many young people who are perhaps not certain of their own feelings in these matters. I think this may be my greatest gift in writing–if indeed this sort of sharing has reached others.
There’s not much else to tell about me. I’ve lived a rather sheltered, quiet life (largely because of the illness) but my passions, no matter how silently or sometimes even loudly they echo, can be found on just about every page of my books. I hope you enjoy the journey through them. As the poet W. B. Yeats so aptly put it, “Tread softly, for you tread on my dreams”.
