I was born in Chelmsford Essex but seven years ago moved to rural Kent, which is widely regarded as The Garden of England, and I’ve been rather letting the side down ever since by having the widest selection of weeds in the county.

I live with partner Ivan, who I’ve been engaged to for 11 years, thus far I’ve refused to name the day because such decisions cannot be rushed. As a civil servant, the highlight of my career came on my very first day when I was asked to sign the Official Secrets Act; twenty years later I’ve yet to be told a secret worthy of such a formal declaration, and have all but given up any hope of being trusted with the nation’s secrets. On reflection this is probably for the best, because if I had ever been presented with one of those files marked in red with ‘Top Secret’ it would probably have gone the way of many a hat, scarf or umbrella and have been left on the train.

The train has now become and important part of my life, offering a sanctuary for half an hour at the beginning and end of each working day when I am free to scribble down ideas for my next story. The sacrifice of the odd clothing accessory being a small price to pay for quality time with my muse; although why a mythical being would need quite so many umbrellas is beyond me, but no doubt I’ll one day write a story explaining it.