PART ONE – The setting is Malaysia where I come into this world, the youngest of four girls. There’s nothing ‘fairy tale’ about my life other than having the most wonderful parents and a wise grandmother. My dad loves reading, which means I’m surrounded by books before I’m even aware of the wonders within, waiting to be discovered. Awkward in company and hating attention, preferring to be ‘behind the scenes’, I find the magic I crave in European fairy tales and the mythology of my Hindu faith.

PART TWO – I travel to the UK for the sole purpose of higher education. It takes me some time to realise the path to the fairy tale world is here. I find hints of it in the countryside, the ruins of castles, even the museums.

PART THREE – I marry a British guy and settle in the UK even though I miss my parents. It’ll be about six years before son no.1 comes along. In the meantime, hubby and I start our pet-family with a couple of kitties. Bored at work, I start to write… a way to connect to that world I’m constantly seeking. We raise our two sons, and I’m blessed to be able to home-school them; we’re both committed to raising well-rounded, respectful young men.

PART FOUR – I lose my parents and finally divorce my husband who has chosen alcohol over his family. My boys are my anchor to sanity; my faith grounds me as does my writing. I finally realise I’m an introvert and so much of my life makes sense. No longer do I care when people say, “You’re so quiet”, like it’s a bad thing. If only they knew. Outwardly, I may be quiet, but my internal world is filled with thoughts-images-conversations… sometimes chaotic, other times coalescing into stories waiting to be written. I just need to stop procrastinating and succumbing to distractions long enough to get those stories out of my head and onto the page!

While waiting for PART FIVE to unfold, in which I’m a divorced, over-50 Asian woman, I’ll leave you with a list because I love writing lists… about anything!
o   I wanted to be a horse when I grew up… sometimes, I still do
o   The term ‘scaredy-cat’ fits me perfectly
o   I hate rudeness in anyone
o   I love animals! All animals, even insects. But not cockroaches – terrified of them.
o   I tend to live in skirts/dresses, and hardly ever wear trousers
o   I have a tattoo