Who I am
I'm an author and qualified journalist, freelance since 1995, covering
most areas but specialising in health and well-being. I can provide
information readers want on issues that matter to them -- or intrigue them
with new ideas and possibilities. After all, health's about more than just
not being ill: laughter can have stronger effects than medical drugs and
sex is a natural pain-killer.
Before I went freelance I was
a feature writer at Prima, one of the UK's top-selling women's monthly
magazines, and before that I was health editor at Health & Fitness
magazine.
My research is based on
evidence and interviews, not on press releases. And having started out as
a newspaper reporter, I'm used to tight deadlines.
My books include:
|
Perfect Bride (Hamlyn, 2005) |
|
Ayurveda for Beauty & Health (Southwater 2005), originally printed as
Ayurvedic Beauty (Lorenz, 2002) |
|
Reflexology & Acupressure (Hamlyn, 1999, 2001, 2003) |
|
Eat Safely (Orion, 1998) |
|
Erotic Massage: Body Magic (Parragon, 1997) |
|
Stress Relief for Women (Parragon, 1997, 2001) |
Eat Safely was
recommended as further reading by Channel 4's Body Story series. Stress
Relief for Women remained in print for more than five years. Reflexology & Acupressure has been translated into numerous other
languages and sold throughout Europe, North America and Japan. |
What I've been doing recently
Since August 1995 I've been a freelance, writing books and features, and
occasionally teaching journalism at university. At the science journal
Nature I was a member of the team that exposed an attempt to publish
faked research, which led to an official investigation. I have written
for newspapers (Guardian, Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail and Daily Mirror);
for numerous magazines including Nature, Best, Men's Health, Shape, New
Woman and Health & Fitness; and for websites including Channel 4.
How it all started
I began work as a
reporter on London local newspapers, covering crime, politics and flower
shows. Then I went off travelling around Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia.
I lived on freelance journalism and casual employment, including working for
an Aboriginal organisation in central Australia, as a stringer for the ABC
(Australia's equivalent of the BBC ) and teaching English in China.
Meanwhile, I wrote on all
kinds of subjects. Some of my favourites were a story about Chinese opera
(my passion at the time) and a series for the national press about the way
Aboriginal groups were taking up computer use faster and more creatively
than the general population.
My favourite interviewee? For
Vogue: the writer Jessica Mitford, who shocked aristocratic London in the
1930s by running off to the Spanish Civil War and who gave me an interview
at dawn on a trip to Sydney in her 70s.
Why I ask so many questions.
My newspaper background
shapes the way I research and write. The question at the back of my mind
when interviewing an official expert or reading a report is still "What am I
not being told?".
An issue that interests me
is: how much can we trust claims made for products, or even published
research? How reliable is a study of, say, a new drug or product, when it's
funded by the makers of that drug or product?
I've
seen enough evidence to believe that complementary therapies can do a lot of
good -- much more than we've yet discovered -- but that those on offer cover
the spectrum from admirable to absolute rip-off. I've found a similar range
in orthodox medicine, from breakthroughs to lethal 'remedies'. And I've
learnt how to pick up clues that a claim is not all it seems.
Pieces of paper
|
National Council for the Training of Journalists proficiency
certificate |
|
Post-graduate diploma in journalism studies, University College
Cardiff |
|
Honours degree (2:1) in modern languages, University College
London |
|
A-levels: English, French, German |
|
Hot topics
In the health field, I've
covered everything from medical breakthroughs to fringe therapies. I'm
especially interested in some topical issues:
|
What works, and will it work for you? |
|
Why do so many medical studies seem to contradict each other? |
|
Evidence-based medicine |
|
Mind-body links: what's true, what isn't |
|
Positive ageing |
|
Staying well rather than getting better |
|
Weighing up risks |
|
Surviving food scares |
But I don't like to get stuck
in a rut: I've also written for the Guardian Weekend Magazine's pets page!
When not working . . .
I've spent a lot of time travelling, which has given me a broader outlook than usual. I taught English in China for two years. After travelling around Africa and Asia I moved to Australia, living on freelance journalism and working for an
Aboriginal organisation.
Other
skills
|
Fluent
French, a working knowledge of Italian and German, some Chinese |
|
Shorthand at 120wpm |
|
Experience with several computer systems and programs including Microsoft
Word and QuarkXPress |
|
Current
clean driving licence |
|
A resourceful, flexible nature and ability to stay calm under
pressure! |
Things I love
Dancing,
walking, poetry, gossipy meals with friends, exploring new places, my
motorbike.
Anything else?
If you'd like to find out more, please contact me. I'll be glad to discuss
ideas too, whether yours or mine. |