Melanie Jain

I grew up during the 1960s in the East End of London where, although hopes and dreams were unimportant, putting food on the table was. There was little room for sentiment or day-dreaming; my childhood taught resilience and know-how. But thanks go to my mother, who thought we should learn from books - this was the introduction of my great escape! My parents weren't educated, they just worked hard. I worked hard at getting an education. From my East End roots to life in Oxfordshire and now the Somerset countryside, my eclectic life experiences have served me well. Having a love of books - all books - and constantly scribbling down stories on scraps of paper, led eventually to my becoming an English teacher. I never gave up on the idea of being on the ‘other side of the page', and becoming a writer myself; I then studied for a Masters in Children's Literature at Cambridge University which finally made me take up the author's chalice.
Books and writing, writing and books fuelled my curiosity and a passion to travel the world. It is that very wonderous world that ignites all sorts of stories to be told - this being just one.