I wrote and illustrated my first hedgehog story at the age of eleven - inspired by the family of hedgehogs who had taken up residence in my family’s garden. Many years later, I returned to the theme to entertain a friend - a grown-up, who remained young at heart. Thus Snipper, hedgehog hero and secret agent, was born.

 

My first published book was Where Hedgehogs Dare in 2009, featuring Snippette - a courageous wartime heroine (and future great-grandmother to Snipper). Let Sleeping Hedgehogs Spy followed in 2013 and Hedgehogs from Outer Space in 2015. Set in the present day, these two stories follow Snipper's own adventures. The first sees him working under cover as a secret agent; the second takes him and his friends (astronauts, scientists and aliens) away from Earth to the international space station and far beyond...

 

My latest book was published this spring, 2021. Set in the 1770s, The Smugglers of Hog's Head Bay features another of Snipper's forebears, Hoglinda, who has been sent to live in a remote and lawless corner of the Isle of Needles. The Isle of Needles is modelled closely on the Isle of Wight as it would have been in the late 18th century. The story is inspired by my love for the island, with which I have been connected all my life. I have loved researching its history and discovering  contemporary paintings and prints to base my illustrations upon. I have been struck by how incredibly different some of the places featured in my story would have looked back then.

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Another place featured in The Smugglers of Hog's Head Bay is Gruntsey, based on Guernsey in the Channel Islands. I had a wonderful holiday in Guernsey a few years ago, based first on the South Coast and then in St Peter Port. The latter is the setting for some important scenes in my book, but here again I have based many of my illustrations on contemporary paintings and prints.

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