My life has taken many unexpected turns, from working on a horse farm in Australia and organising a reception for South and South-east Asian officials in Brussels, to volunteer work with victims of torture in London. I have spent months at different periods in my life travelling alone through countries such as India, Nepal, Thailand, Australia, the United States and most of Europe. There is still so much to experience that my only worry is one day I won’t be able to continue the journey.
After graduating with a degree in International Relations from Sussex University I worked for two years in Thailand, first with Hmong, Mien and Htin hill tribe refugees on the Laos border, then as a journalist for The Nation newspaper.
I have studied for an MPhil at the Refugee Studies Programme, Queen Elizabeth House, Oxford University; worked at The Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House; and for the Institute for South and South-east Asian Studies in Brussels. I also worked as a careers adviser in schools, further education colleges and university in Cornwall and Oxford before becoming a full-time writer.
In 2023, I founded The History Forum—a series of online talks delivered by professional historians. The programme runs on Sunday evenings at 7pm (London time), from September through April, bringing expert insight and lively discussion to history enthusiasts everywhere.
I also launched On This Day, a monthly feature with three posts exploring some of history’s more unusual, overlooked, and delightfully quirky dates.
I live in Oxfordshire, with my husband, writer and historian Ross King.
The Secret History of English Spas
