When I met an author of fiction the other day I told her that I write poetry, she was polite and said "Oh, poetry's not my thing, it's too deep for me" to which I replied "I don't write that sort of poetry".

I have been writing diaries for most of my life but in 2012 I saw a competition for poetry writing so I decided to enter. I wrote a poem about my teenage daughter and her mood swings and sent it off. I was delighted when it was awarded a highly commended by the judge and it was published in an anthology.

Since that experience I discovered that poems appear into my mind on a regular basis so I write them down and my collection has grown. I have called this book Mid-Life Muddles because that is what has inspired these poems. They offer a light hearted glimpse into a middle aged woman's mind, memories, hopes and fears.

I live in South West France with my husband and two children. I was born in Southern England and moved to France in 2004 with my family to have an adventure and to have time to be more creative.