Author. My new novel 'Five Siblings at 23' is out now.
"I spent more than a decade working as a reporter in radio, newspapers and
TV news."
About Paul
I grew up in Essex in England, a member of a large, multigenerational family. I have always loved to write and, as a child, I would often spend time in my bedroom, writing stories, drawing my own comic books or using my old cassette player to record audio plays.
It was my love of writing that drew me into the world of journalism. I spent more than a decade working as a reporter across a range of different media organisations including newspapers, radio stations and TV news.
In the late nineties I was lucky enough to work for the BBC's news website and became one of the corporation's first online journalists.
It was during my time at BBC News Online that my interest in online media began and over the following years I could see how the rapid growth of social media (such as Twitter and Facebook) to some extent eroded the power of the traditional press.
I came out in 1993, when I was 23 years old, and have become a keen advocate of LGBTQ+ rights. My writing often focuses on homophobia within the newspaper industry. I met my husband in 1996 and we became foster carers in 2006. Since then we have cared for more than 30 children and young people – sometimes for just a few days, sometimes for years.
My first novel, Exposé, was published in 2014. It followed a particularly tumultuous period for the British media, when the phone-hacking scandal was being exposed and other parts of the media – including the BBC – were being heavily criticised for the way they handled other serious issues. But despite parodying many in the media, I was pleased that Exposé received fantastic reviews in national publications - including a four-star rating from The Sun.
My second novel, Exposed, is based in 2016 which of course was the year of the EU referendum in the UK and the presidential election in the US, which Donald Trump won. What I saw at that time was a frightening lurch to the right in the content of many national newspapers, with journalists using increasingly aggressive and negative rhetoric about vulnerable minority groups. This of course included the LGBTQ+ community and especially the trans community. And that lurch to the right is very much a theme throughout Exposed.
My new book, Five Siblings at 23, is my most personal novel to date, visiting some very tough issues such as terminal illness, domestic abuse and child custody battles. It's the story of a large family, and how each of the five children manage to navigate all the ups and downs of life. I did a huge amount of research for the story, and I hope you find it an enjoyable and compelling read.
I am now 55 years old and I live in England with my husband and two cats.