Back when I was teaching and designing architecture, I used to feel frustrated that so little of my time was spent being truly creative, and although I was always writing, I was never fully using my imagination.

One day, I realised that if I became an author, I could design whole worlds – not just buildings – and that by writing stories and poems I could let my imagination run wild every day.

Being a working mum with three children, I went on a quest to write my first novel, SeaBEAN, a children’s time-travel adventure story.

Once I had my first book published in 2013, I knew I had found my true vocation, but it wasn’t enough just to become an author, I wanted to help children and young adults uncover their talent for writing, and that’s when I put together my ‘Made Up’ suite of workshop sessions.

Thirteen years on, with six novels and over 600 author-led creative writing workshops under my belt, I’ve now launched The Kiseki Writing Retreat in Japan, so that other writers can join me in letting their imaginations run wild too.