I am the author of The Jade Riley Mysteries. Book 1, The Godfather of Dance, is set in Houston, Texas, and features murder, dance and family secrets. Book 2, A Killer Among Friends, takes place in Melbourne, Australia, and tackles murder, music and company secrets. Book 3, The Man in the Dam, is in Mansfield, Victoria, and hits on murder, theatre and community secrets. Read on to find out why I have chosen these locations and topics.
The Jade Riley Mysteries are inspired by the places I’ve lived, the people I’ve met, and the adventures I’ve had along the way. I love storytelling in its many forms and my writing is influenced by the many books, movies, TV shows, songs and dances I’ve enjoyed since I was a child.
I adore the creative arts, particularly musicals, and the first three titles in the series form a musical triple threat, covering dance, music and acting.
My other writing credits include:
- The Winding Narrative blog.
- Short stories in anthologies, including: a cozy mystery anthology Signed, Sealed… Deceased by Beaches and Trails Publishing, Against All Odds by Mirror World Publishing, and Heart by Mansfield Readers and Writers.
- Shortlist in AWC’s Furious Fiction – Oct 2021 and Nov 2021.
- Longlist in the Hawkeye Publishing Manuscript Development Prize (2021) LOST IN LAGOS, to be published as The Runaway Girl.
- Two picture books illustrated by Whitney Van Nuis: Sam and the Golden Camel and Sue and the Rainbow Dolphin.
- Two anthologies co-edited with Gail Collins about expat adventures: Nigerian Gems and Papua New Guinea Pearls.
- Eight stage shows performed in Lagos, Nigeria, and two at Woodlands Preparatory School in Houston, Texas.
Besides writing, I run the book editing company Brightside Story Studio, where I work with authors of fiction and memoir to make their stories sparkle. I specialize in genre fiction, particularly crime, women’s fiction and romance. I am also the Vice President of Mansfield Readers & Writers Festival.
Before writing, I graduated as an electrical engineer and worked in telecommunications until I completed a post-graduate diploma in organisation behaviour and became a career consultant. All that went by the wayside when we relocated to Lagos for my husband’s job. With our two kids, we spent the next twelve years enjoying the exhilaration and dislocation of expat life in Nigeria, USA and Qatar. We have now repatriated to Australia, where I commute between Melbourne and Mansfield in country Victoria.
Along the way, I developed a passion for ballroom and Latin dance, helped to build a school, got bogged in both the Qatari and Australian deserts, and had an accidental hallucinogenic experience in Peru. Fun fact: I used to play violin and considered studying music before I chose engineering. When I’m not writing, thinking about writing or discussing writing, I love spending time with family and friends, photography and going to the theatre.
I am a member of the Australian Society of Authors, Writers Victoria, Queensland Writers Centre, Sisters in Crime, Australian Crime Writers and the Institute of Professional Editors.
Here are a few of my favourite photos.
