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What do you find the most challenging?

Not playing with words! I have two longer prose projects on the go (a midgrade fiction and a dark-folk fantasy novel) but because I find it hard to not imbue everything I write with layered depths or lyrical lilt, the writing process is very slow. As a neurodivergent creative,  it has been an interesting challenge to break my own rules and patterns of writing to make more progress on the page.

What inspired you to write poems for charity and how much did you raise?

After suffering for many years with his mental health, we very tragically lost my cousin Bevis to suicide in July. Bevis, like so many suffering with debilitating mental illness, was unable to access the support and appropriate care he needed. I wanted to do something proactive in his memory to raise awareness, campaign for change and help others like Bev. I decided to fundraise for the fantastic mental health charity Mind through writing bespoke poems in return for donations. The response was overwhelming and incredibly moving. Thanks to the support of many generous people, including SWG members, I raised a total of £1300 for Mind. I will never be able to express my gratitude for this experience and the light it gave to all my family in the wake of our terrible loss.

It’s great that Ickworth Estate are featuring your Christmas story this year. How did that come about?

I have been the resident storyteller at Ickworth for the last few years and have written and performed bespoke children’s stories about the wonderful estate. The Stumpery Stories, Spook-tacular Tales and Snowdrop stories featuring the wildlife of Ickworth, have been extremely popular with young audiences and families. For Christmas this year, the team at Ickworth asked me if I would write a fun, festive adventure to base their big Christmas offer around. I of course said yes!

Visitors to Ickworth often ask about the mysterious cat-like creature on the Hervey Family’s crest. What is he? Who is he? I soon discovered the creature is an ‘ounce’, more commonly known as a snow leopard. A snow leopard at Ickworth?! How strange! How magical! I could feel a story spinning and a curious character coming to life. As a symbol of strength and courage, the snow leopard ounce was used to represent the Hervey (Ickworth’s) Family. We thought it was time to give our snow leopard his very own tale (or tail!).

You can visit Ickworth Estate’s website by clicking here.

What advice would you give to new writers and people wanting to find new ways to share their work?

Write, write, write and don’t let doubt stop you! The more content you create the better. You don’t have to use everything you write but it is better to have it down in some form than not at all.  Grasp those ideas, random lines and characters before they float into forgotten. I make writing a daily practice. You will then find yourself with a bank of work with which to apply for opportunities. I find poetry competitions, submissions and a whole plethora of opportunities on Instagram and have now won several competitions and been featured multiple times on BBC upload and other radio stations. The more writing you do, the more material you have to select from. Opportunities breed more opportunities and connections.