About The Authors
Where the Writing Begins...
Emma Barratt
Emma Barratt’s main job has been as a full-time Mum for nearly 21 years. She loves photography, art and music too but books, poetry and stories in all their forms fascinate her.
From the age of ten she has enjoyed writing diaries and letters. After university and a degree in Sociology she started a novel. Thirty years later she is still writing diaries and letters, and that novel!
Emma joined Linda Dawe’s class at White Hill about five years ago and has loved learning to write short stories and poetry. She has enjoyed getting to know the other group members and sharing her writing with them. It has made her happy.
Throughout lockdown she has found that the group has been a wonderful support and inspiration and has led her to fall in love with writing all over again. She has found it an escape into the imagination and a joy.
Lisbeth Cameron
Lisbeth finds being a member of The White Hill Writers challenging, inspiring and, more especially, enjoyable.
She was born in Denmark but has lived in the UK for over 50 years. She began as a nurse, which included cycling through East London as a midwife. She has also been fortunate to have worked in many countries.
Lisbeth has always written diaries, letters and articles. At school, her teacher said she wrote good essays. Now she mostly writes about life, mainly her autobiographical memories and her ideas about what is happening in the world. Occasionally they appear in poems or rhymes.
She has published one book which was about her stay in the jungle of Guyana and is at present writing another about her early life. She writes songs for special occasions and her son and his newly wedded wife had to suffer one about their lives at their wedding reception.
Garry Giles
Garry Giles’ first experience of creative writing was composing songs and their lyrics in the mid-1970s. He still writes songs today.
Writing stories came much later as, with a busy career, time was not always available. Garry joined The White Hill Writers with the intention of writing a collection of short stories which is nearly complete.
Garry feels being part of the group has been a joyful journey, and given him the chance to learn from other writers, and along the way to produce more prose and poetry than he ever could have anticipated.
Richard Hounsfield
Richard spent most of his career in front of software clients or behind a desk creating spreadsheets and legal documents as a Finance Director. Due to a life-changing event in 2018, he’s exchanged those necessary duties for creative pastimes, i.e. painting, pandemic-inspired gardening, mindfully walking the dog and writing for pleasure.
Richard discovered The White Hill Writers in 2020, who have been incredibly welcoming and motivated Richard to explore whether ‘creative writing’ was possible after churning out so many dry commercial documents over the years.
Richard also enjoys cricket, football, Formula 1, live music and motorbikes. He and his partner have just about survived raising their now grown-up children as a mixed step-family, plus their adorable golden retriever dog named Senna.
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Sarah-Jane Reeve
Sarah began her career in the publishing
world working on film magazines, before moving on to book promotion, editorial, production and retail. She has
been a publishing freelancer for many years.
Sarah enjoys writing creatively and has contributed to anthologies such as 'On Reflection' and 'When This is All Over'. She is planning a book on the lives of her grandparents during the 1930s and 1940s which included numerous overseas postings.
She is an enthusiastic gardener and traveller, and now lives in Berkshire with her husband and two daughters.
Joyce Smith
Joyce has always enjoyed reading and after completing a degree at London University in History as a mature student, she started writing poetry and short stories.
On retiring from the library service, she joined The White Hill Writers which enabled her to widen her scope and extend her skills. She also enjoys sketching and gardening, walking and swimming. Joyce lives in Buckinghamshire near her three children and four grandchildren.
Kate Stanley
Kate Stanley has lived in the Chilterns since the age of twelve, with the exception of three years in South Africa.
Until recently she was a teacher and has been a carer for her husband for 25 years. Juggling the two roles was challenging but writing became her therapeutic outlet and she discovered The White Hill Writers in 2018.
Kate likes to write short, reflective pieces with the occasional foray into light-hearted verse. She has no plans to write a novel, preferring essays, articles and more recently an autobiographical blog.
Lorraine Surridge
Having recently retired after a career that spanned financial services, high street retail and local government, Lorraine is enjoying spending time on more creative pursuits such as gardening and writing.
Since joining The White Hill Writers in 2018 she has been developing her writing style and she particularly enjoys writing historical fiction.
Lorraine lives in Buckinghamshire and is married with one son.
Moyra Zaman
Moyra Zaman, born in Glasgow, spent much of her life travelling and volunteering abroad and has always had an interest in dance and writing.
Originally a research Biochemist she later trained in Fine Art and Textile Design. After working as a Colour Consultant for the Interior Design Market in London, she taught Art at Chesham Grammar School for 20 years. As International Coordinator she promoted Global Education, gaining the International School Award, led World Challenge expeditions and developed a partnership in Ghana.
Now retired, she is a volunteer and Trustee of the Workaid charity, teaches Yoga and writes whenever she can. She lives in Amersham and is married with 2 sons & 2 grandsons.
