Melissa Barker-Simpson

I like to think I was born a writer, but that isn’t strictly true. I was born with a passion for language, for storytelling, and the ability to build new worlds in my head. This creative gene, as you might call it, has taken many guises over the years. When I was old enough to write (legibly), I began to practice my handwriting, gaining the pride of my family due to my deft calligraphy skills. I grew out of that stage as soon as the stories began to crowd my young mind, and I found my hands couldn’t keep up! I’m a terrible writer now, my Calligraphy teacher would weep in shame – I have the script of a harried doctor; except people have no inclination to translate my scrawl.

Later I began acting out the scripts in my head, torturing my family with my many adventures. It didn’t stop…