I'm a short, tattooed author, who loves cats, rock music, tea and cardigans. I live in the South West of Scotland with my family, having moved up from the Midlands a few years ago so I could pursue my dreams of becoming a best-selling crime writer (still working on that!). I'm the creator of the D.I. Alex Peachey series, which are contemporary, character-led police procedurals set in and around Wolverhampton. I've been told my books would appeal to fans of Ann Cleeves and Mark Billingham (a huge compliment!). I'm currently working on the third in the series, and am also tinkering with a couple of standalones, one set in Scotland and the other in various places around the UK (and possibly abroad). When I'm not writing I can usually be found at crime writing festivals, buying yet more books. Former jobs have included working with male strippers and drag artistes, and as an Oompa Loompa in a chocolate factory. I read mostly crime books, and my favourite authors include Jeffery Deaver, Tom Wood, Dan Padavona, Angela Marsons and Joy Ellis to name but a few.