Once upon a time there was a little girl called Tamsyn. She was a strange child who believed Guy Fawkes lived in the attic outside her bedroom and that there was a flush monster in the toilet. When she was four years old, she came third in a beauty pageant and has regularly won second prize ever since (Monopoly counts, right?). When she wasn’t being pretty, Tamsyn loved reading and one of her earliest memories is burying her nose in ‘Ladybird Read It Yourself’ books.

Her family was always on the move, which meant she changed schools a lot and lived in Kent, Scotland Cornwall (again) and the Lake District. Her favourite place was a village on the England/Scotland border. It had a ruined castle, a river and lots of fields, perfect for an eight year old tomboy. Tamsyn’s teenage years were spent in the Lake District until she left to go to university in London, where she studied Archaeology and rocks. It’s best not to ask her about the rocks. She tends to start drooling.

When she isn’t at work or writing, Tamsyn messes about on stage. She is at her happiest when wearing a princess dress pretending to be someone else and shows she has starred in include Hello Dolly!, Kiss Me Kate and Anything Goes. She sings a lot and not only in the shower. It drives her family mad. Occasionally, she auditions for Britain’s Got Talent. One day she might get past the first round.

Tamsyn always loved animals and wanted to be a vet when she grew up, until she realised she was far too soppy. Her first pet was a hamster called Socks, who she promptly lost. He turned up two days later in her school bag. She doesn’t know if he actually came to school with her. She likes to think he did. Current pets include a Russian hamster, two Netherland Dwarf rabbits, a cross-eyed tabby cat and a Labrador puppy. The cute factor is v. high. Unfortunately, so is the poo factor.