Literature is littered with turning points. Turning points mark a place of irrevocable change in a story; they build character and shape a person's outlook on life. Here are a few of my own:

• Leaving Manchester, England at the age of nearly 9 years to emigrate to New Zealand - Aotearoa - "Land of the Long White Cloud".

• Looking into the one open eye of my eldest son, moments after his birth, as he surveyed the world for the first time. In that instant I came to understand the term "A Mother's Love".

• Being told by a doctor that my newly born son was "not viable" then watching him stubbornly defy the prognosis and grow into a strong, vibrant young man.

• Abandoning an unhealthy lifestyle and rediscovering the joy of the written word.

• Realizing the ecstasy of independent living - me, a goldfish and a Jade plant.

• Daily walks by the sea - an ever-changing vista which fills the creative well.