ABOUT VANESSA WESTER

Growing up in Gibraltar, I had some goals...

1. Work hard at school, get good grades, go to university, get a great job!
2. Fall madly in love with someone ... and if lucky, they fall in love with me.
3. Or, get talent spotted, become an actress or a singer and forget 1 & 2 (but still hope for 2)

Please bear in mind that the great career varied... I wanted to be a dancer & singer (aged 8), the next Agatha Christie (aged 13), an artist (aged 15), a marine biologist (aged 16)... so what did I do?

I got a degree in Accounting and Law and then got a job as a VAT Consultant! Yep, you figure! So, no surprises, I hated it. Working in an office did not suit me one bit!

Luckily, I had fallen madly in love with my husband (and for some bizarre reason he also, apparently, fell for me - nearly 20 years together, and counting) who advised me to quit. Now, I never quit... EVER. I had to stick it out, I never leave what I start, I would... NAH... I quit, and thank goodness! They were extremely understanding and I appreciated the way they even kept me on in HR for 3 months.

Anyway, after getting some Teaching experience, I realised I wanted to be a teacher, since I had loved the interaction with children as a swimming teacher for my club (I used to be a competitive swimmer). So, I did a PGCE and qualified as a Mathematics Teacher and got married in the summer of 2000.

After having my son in 2002, I ended up becoming a stay at home mum. We moved to a different area, then lived abroad in Rotterdam, and then I had a daughter in 2004.

I was about to go back to teaching in 2008 and found out no. 3 was on her way. Anyway, I gave up a lot of time to help as Treasurer for the PTA, and went in to school to help out, then organised Christmas Fairs, etc... I kept busy, but nothing I did was just for me. I do love helping people, but we all need to have a space we call our own.

Now, I have always loved reading and movies, and it was the Twilight movie, that actually got me writing. I watched the interview with Stephenie Meyer and thought "I can do it too."

So I did... I published my debut novel, HYBRID (The Evolution Trilogy) in 2012. Since then, I have completed the Trilogy with COMPLICATIONS and RETURN. I also wrote a novella, EMILY.

I have also published a short story called FIRST DATE, based on my true experience - I played with the ending, the reality was just not good enough!

In addition, I have published fundraising anthologies.

The day I decided to start writing was the day I found an outlet for my imagination. It is the best way I can think of to express myself and escape from everyday life...

And, phew, I now live on the Isle of Wight, UK.

Thanks for reading and finding out a little bit about me...

All the best,
Vanessa