How would you describe yourself in 10 words or less?

Author of Young Adult fiction 

If you had to choose, what is the single moment that defined you most?

Before I went to St. Catherine’s I attended a different school that was very conservative in its approach to gender roles. Girls were expected to do dance and look pretty, not play soccer or participate in martial arts. There was a lot of pressure from the parents teachers and other students to make everyone conform. Not giving in to this pressure was a defining moment for me. 

What is your fondest memory of St. Catherine’s?

The St. Cat's soccer finals! I made the pass that set up the winning goal. I also loved the cozy atmosphere of the days leading up to the Christmas holidays…and the Christmas bazaars.

When the first Harry Potter movie came out we did a school trip to the cinema, around that time of year. The whole school went. It was a gray winter day and the staff had arranged a morning screening, just for St. Catherine’s. Thinking back to it now, that was a special day. 

How did St. Catherine’s help shape your path?

In so, so many ways!

I learned most of what I know about creative writing from the St. Catherine’s English Department. To this day, I’m incredibly grateful to Anne Peters, who taught us how to analyse and interpret poetry and prose, and to Wendy Raikopoulos who taught us so much about storytelling. I don’t think I could write the spy novel that I’m currently writing if Elizabeth Stewart hadn’t unlocked my passion for history.

And I often think back to the moral dilemmas that we discussed in Dr Bond’s TOK classes, some of which referred to dystopian or utopian futures. Back then, I had no idea that I would end up writing a dystopian novel for young adults one day! It was the IB as a whole, though, which shaped my general knowledge—and general knowledge is so important in storytelling. So really, I would like to thank all my teachers! 

What did you do after graduating from St. Catherine’s?

I studied Combined Arts and English Literature at Durham University. After that, I wrote for history magazines for a while, I did some volunteer work in Costa Rica, and I tried out interpreting and stunt training. Nothing stuck. I think I always wanted to be a writer. 

What are your top 3–5 career highlights, and why do they stand out?

• Publishing Blue Out, and my first solo novel, Deadly Spotlight, were both huge steps. Writing involves a lot of editing and rewriting. As an author, it’s hard to judge whether your manuscript is ready, especially in the beginning, when you’re still learning. Seeing my first novel printed and available on Amazon was a milestone.

• There were also some jobs that I did for research which stood out. I did some movie extra work, which was incredible, because I got to see the behind-the-scenes of some very big productions, like Solo: A Star Wars Story and Jason Bourne. One of my novels features an actor and I would never have been able to picture his work environment, without this firsthand experience. There’s this buzz on movie sets, everyone’s working at high speed. And the detail that goes into the sets is so much grander and so different than what you see in the cinema, in the end.

But when I think of my career highlights, I hope that the big ones are yet to come. If they ever make a movie out of Blue Out, that would be awesome! 

What do you enjoy doing for fun?

Writing is fun! I’m very lucky that way. I get to do a job that I love.

On sunny weekends I sometimes spend a day on the beach—with a book to read.

A lot of my hobbies are related to storytelling. I like to read or go to the cinema.

But if I could, I’d spend every minute that I get off work in an escape room, or doing outdoor climbing, or in a laser-tag arena. Something adrenaline packed with a challenge. One time I wanted to book my sister a game of laser-tag for her birthday and accidentally ended up booking a laser-tag escape room with live actors dressed up as zombies. I’m not sure she ever forgave me!

What activities are you involved in outside of your career?

Kung Fu, scuba diving, climbing, gymnastics.

I’ve been doing kung fu for more than 20 years. It’s taught me many lessons for life. Somehow all these activities find their way into my writing though :-) I like to get inspired by trying out things. That includes travelling to new places, to scout out locations—or learning a new language. When I write a character who does martial arts, I focus more on my martial arts training, when I write a scene that’s set underwater, I go on a diving vacation. In storytelling, there are always something new to explore. 

What are you most proud of—not only professionally, but personally as well?

A year or two ago I took part in a 5K run, for the first time, and came 4th out of all the women. That felt good. In writing I’m a bit of a perfectionist. I often look back at a scene and think “That could have been better…” So if I look back at a chapter or paragraph and think “That really came out exactly the way I wanted it to,” that’s also one of those moments. 

What advice would you give your younger self?

Don’t worry so much! I have a tendency for overthinking and over-planning. Having career goals is important, but sometimes it’s also important to enjoy the moment. Things don’t always go as planned and when that happens the important thing is to adapt, and move on, and find a new approach. 

Ready to relive your St. Cat’s memories by the sea next Saturday?

Yes! I'm really looking forward to seeing former teachers and classmates at the St. Catherine’s summer reunion. The venue looks fantastic!

Want to be our next spotlight? Email us at alumni@stcatherines.gr or submit your Spotlight directly here. 

Curious to read about other St. Cats alumni? Check out our previous Alumni Spotlights!