The Author 2 Author Podcast

When I write about myself, I tend to slip off into writing about my books. But not here! Here, I am going to tell you about me. Where do I begin? Well, books and reading have been a huge part of my life since I was very young. My mum taught me – and my siblings – to read and write when I was in nursery. As I got older, I used to go to the library every day after school to read books and I used to write short descriptive passages all the time. And, of course, I whiled away many, many hours daydreaming and creating stories in my head. At the grand old age of 13, I finally wrote my first novel called There’s A Thin Line Between Love And Hate. I used to write a chapter every night in my exercise books then pass it around to my fellow convent school pupils the next morning. They seemed to love it. I grew up in London and then grew up again in Leeds when I went to university at Trinity and All Saints College (as it was then). I later returned to London to study for my masters degree in journalism at Goldsmiths University. I had various temping jobs and eventually became a journalist and editor working on various women’s magazines and national papers. While working as a journalist, I continued to write short stories and novels in every spare moment – like on the train to and from work – as way to achieve my goal of becoming a published novelist. In 2001 I had the idea for The Cupid Effect and I signed up with my first publisher a year later. In 2003 The Cupid Effect went on sale and my career as a published novelist began. In 2006, third novel, My Best Friend’s Girl was published. It was incredibly successful – selling nearly 90,000 copies within its first few weeks. Six weeks later, it was selected for the Richard & Judy Summer Reads Book Club and the book went on to sell over 500,000 copies. Because of its huge sales, it won an award. My fourth novel, Marshmallows for Breakfast, also won an award for selling over 250,000 copies. Anyway, back to me: in 2005 I moved to Australia and spent two years living in Sydney. When I returned to England in 2007 I moved to the south coast, namely Brighton. I love living by the sea. There’s nothing like a good walk along the seafront to clear your head or to work out the knots in a plot. Those who’ve read my later books will know that a lot of them have been set in Brighton and its surrounding area, often with a good dose of Leeds and South London thrown in.

David E. Ambrose is a Grenadian educator and author who lectures in Communication Studies at the T. A. Marryshow Community College, Grenada. He is the Dean of the School of Arts, Sciences & Professional Studies, and also teaches Basic Spanish and Basic German. Ambrose is an alum of the Grenada Boys’ Secondary School; and Principia College, and the University of Phoenix, in the United States. Ambrose published his first book, White Spice, an explosive crime thriller, in 2015. In 2018, he published his popular cultural fiction, That Time in Bogles – A Carriacou Tale; and in 2019, he produced the gripping short story, Zone One. In January 2022, he published his first children's story, The Kayak Tourist. All his books are available on Amazon. In 2020, Ambrose partnered with filmmaker Fragrance Francique of Ashanti Arts & Media Logistics to star in two films: Mad Thoughts, and Over-ride. Ambrose is also a tour guide certified with the Grenada Tourism Authority. He is authorized to provide walking tours of Grenada’s capital, St. George’s, to visitors and citizens alike.

Taymer Mason grew up in a family of cooks who taught her to make—and love!—traditional Caribbean cuisine. She went vegan while at the University of the West Indies, and, after graduating, moved to France where she started veganizing old West Indian favorites. Mason is a food scientist and organic cosmetic developer. The bilingual globe trotter, Mason lives in Europe.

Heather Hancock is multi-genre writer, poet, and author of the debut Christian contemporary novel, Sister Lost - released March 1/23 in paperback; released October 22/23 in Kindle Ebook on Amazon. Having lived with Cerebral Palsy since birth, she successfully worked as a unit clerk in the healthcare industry for over 22 years, A CSA, NA, and Bullying survivor, Heather uses both fiction and poetry to address complex issues in creative ways. She is a Christian, and faith is a thread that weaves through all of her writing. She has nonfiction, fiction, and poetry published in four anthologies: Called to Intercede - Volumes 1 & 7 in 2022, and Coffee House Writers Volume 1: Nonfiction & Poetry and Volume 2: Fiction in 2020. Heather has been writing since the age of 8. When she’s not writing, she’s crocheting, cuddling with her cat, Willow, and spending time with her husband at their home in rural Saskatchewan, Canada.

Kim Ramsay is a criminologist with over 20 years experience, trained in the University of Leicester, United Kingdom. She is a senior research officer with the Government of Barbados and has conducted research on issues related to crime and the criminal justice system. Her main research interests are penal policy, criminal justice reform and research on violence and violence prevention. She has carried out research on homicides, gangs and recidivism of ex-prisoners. She has also conducted a public opinion survey on crime; juvenile deliquency and fear of crime. Kim is part lecturer in Criminology at the The University of the West Indies where she had been teaching for close to 20 years.

Garfield Robinson combines being a focused entrepreneur with a community footprint, with a senior sales executive. He is well positioned to help small and large businesses who are desirous of engaging with the UK's BAME community and beyond. https://promotingourheritage.sumupstore.com/product/keepers-of-the-flame-saluting-100-black-authors-volume-1-9781739627102-emancipation-day-sale

Abi Osho is the Founder of Soul Melanin and Author of "Nature's Medicine for the Soul". Abi is a Holistic Empowerment Coach, Essential Oils Educator, and Creator of nature-based women's retreats. Abi helps women of colour gain, clarity, confidence, and consistency with the transitional journey of life. Abi travels to Africa, researching the power of indigenous African seed oils and essential oils. One of her gifts is to share some of the spiritual ancestral knowledge that she has learned from the communities that harvest the oils with the diasporic community. Abi has created a 10-night international "Reconnect Africa Sista Retreat" to Tanzania in October 2022 for 12 women. This life-enhancing experience is about self-reflection and self reconnection with our own rich ancestry.

Henery X was born, raised, and still resides in Detroit, Michigan. He's the author of five (5) books, he's a writing coach, and he's a manuscript editor. He's also the founder of the Clubhouse club Writer's Way, and Instagram platform Your Voice Matters. You can connect with him on IG at @selfcreated124 or via email [email protected]

Dr Lynda Ince-Greenaway was born in Barbados and grew up there for the most formative years of her life. She emigrated to the UK with her mother and siblings in 1965 after the death of her father. She completed her formal education in the UK and became a qualified social worker in 1982. She acted in the role of manager of two social work teams making her mark as a leader. After setting up her business in 1997, she was awarded a finalist certificate in 2001 by the European Federation for Black Women Business Owners in the Social and Humanitarian category. Dr Ince-Greenaway became an academic lecturer on the Diploma, BA and MA in Social Work courses at the University of Hertfordshire. This is where she inspired students to defy their limiting beliefs and reach their goals. She received an MPhil from Brunel University West London and her doctorate from the University of Birmingham, School of Social Policy. She wrote her first book in 1998 which resulted from her MPhil dissertation about the lived experiences of young black people transitioning out of the local authority care system. Her book contributed to policy changes in the area of planning for young people and preparing them for adulthood. Dr Ince-Greenaway also published her work in edited textbooks and monographs. Currently, she is a Leadership and well-being Life coach and a freelance trainer. She is an educationalist, certified life coach and motivational speaker. She writes articles for Brainz Magazine as an Executive Contributor. Dr Ince-Greenaway is known for her enthusiasm and passion concerning such issues as social justice, social inclusion, empowerment and personal self-development. She has had a lifelong commitment to supporting others to develop on the path of their learning journey.

Chad Miller has a B.A. in Psychology from Syracuse University and a Pharm D from the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. He’s a pharmacist and lives in Delaware with his girlfriend, Natasha and her daughter, Sasha, and his kids, Killian, Willow, and Halina. He is a horror writer and began crafting stories 25 years ago. His writing is not for the faint of heart and his goal is to plant seeds of terror in your mind so that you can’t sleep at night. Miller’s 3 novella series, Cerberus is available on Amazon now! His short story collection, The Void is available on Amazon now!  His future project includes an abridged version of his 2 books, The Prisoner and A Paroxysm of Fear edited into 1 book. He also is working on his new novel, the Confession.