ABOVE: Receiving the "Strength of purpose," award from my Literary Agent, Selwa Anthony, and Sassy special guest "Effie," aka actress and comedian, Mary Costas....
I was born and raised in southern Sydney and as a kid, I was right into sport. I played tennis five days a week and was ranked in the state (NSW) as a junior. I was horse crazy. Apparently I asked my parents for a horse at least once a week ( what a painful kid) but we lived in the suburbs and they were not keen on having a horse in the backyard. I couldn't understand this at the time... But I can't complain, I went riding as often as I could. And I went ice skating at every opportunity, and played basketball in my down time. Somehow I managed to fit in attending school in between having fun. I had a great childhood ...
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At fifteen I got my first job at Woolworths Variety Store (they were like a small K Mart for those too young to remember them) Not long after that I began coaching kids tennis after school and also did some modelling. I reached my full height of 176cm/ 5'10ish at fourteen and hated it. I was the tallest wherever I went and got very sick of comments like "how's the weather up there?" and being called "stork." It was only when I was about eighteen I began to appreciate my height and now both of my daughters are taller than me, so I'm the shortest in the house, and I don't like it one bit...
A page 3 Pic of me at age 22, back in the day they had girls in bikini's in the Daily Mirror Newspaper. This is the original Mum cut out of the paper...
With my Mum & Dad at my Graduation
Starring dreamily after former Police Commissioner Avery congratulated me on graduating
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Me at 14, w
ith Tennis Greats John Newcombe and Tony Roach
I WISH I HAD A DOLLAR FOR EVERY TIME I'VE BEEN ASKED; WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO JOIN THE POLICE FORCE?
Well, I became obsessed with the idea of becoming a police officer at the age of sixteen. It was career’s week at school and I was being asked what I wanted to do when I left school. My best buddy, Deanne, and I discussed what we should do... Because we were going to do the same thing, because that's what best friends do... She suggested the police force and of course I agreed. Years later Deanne decided the police force wasn't dangerous enough for her and became a primary school teacher... need I say more. But I was stuck on the idea of having a job that was exciting, unpredictable, helped people and served the community. I wanted to make a bit of a difference, get bad people off the streets. I liked the idea of shift work and that there were opportunities within the police department to branch out into different fields and specialise in varying facets of policing. I thought the prospect of being a police officer seemed like a challenging and interesting job. It certainly lived up to my expectations to say the least... I completed my Higher School Certificate in 1985 and had to fill in a year before I was old enough to join the Police Force so I worked in a number of clerical position - receptionist for a Barristers Chambers, clerk at Estee Lauder, and public service work. In January of 1987, after successfully completing the rigorous physical and mental assessments to qualify as a trainee, I started at the Police Academy in Class 225, the first intake of 200, with 25% females and no height requirements. The Police Academy in New South Wales is in Goulburn, a large country town approximately 2 hours drive south west of Sydney. The training was 3 months of hell... Well no, not really. But there were moments of torture; like running 10 KM in 40% heat, doing push ups on hot cement on our knuckles as punishment for smiling, or getting handcuffs pulled off your wrists to show how easy it is for women to get out of them. (These were my experiences only) And then there was the tests, learning about the law, police procedures & powers, Crimes Act and every other Act we needed to know about... But by far the highlight of my time at the academy was the bar... this is where we (the trainee's that were lower in rank than a police dog, as our instructors told us) got to know each other and the bond/camaraderie we developed will last a lifetime. We have regular "class 225 reunions" and they are awesome.
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My school mate and academy buddy, Scott, and I at the Police Academy in 1987. And that's me marching at our graduation parade (class 225) on 27 March 1987. Starting with 200, we lost a few recruits along the way... by that I mean they either left or got kicked out... 175 of us graduated.
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Striking a pose in the locker room. this pic taken around 1989... I can't remember who took IT or why. we were probably just mucking around when we had some down time.
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I started duty at Newtown police station (an old & densely populated suburb in Sydney's inner west) in April 1987. Today Newtown is a bustling hive of activity full of popular restaurants, pubs and nightlife. But back when I worked there the area was rough, dirty and one of the busiest stations in NSW. There was very rarely a dull moment and I learnt so much during my six years there. My workmates (most of them) were great, good police and many are still friends today.
MY CAREER AS A POLICE OFFICER...
There is no way I can list all that I did in my twenty year police career but I can certainly say it was interesting, at times scary, satisfying, frustrating and bizarrely entertaining. Some of the things police/emergency services workers witness and experience, can be almost too weird or strange to believe.
If I wrote in one of my fictional crime books about Lexie being called to an alleged explosion, to find on arrival, the explosion had been a blown light bulb and the elderly lady (with nine cats, no joke) who'd called for help, forgot she'd done so and therefore, panicking upon seeing the police arrive at her house, pulled out her false teeth and launched them at the intruders in blue - which happened to hit Lexie in the forehead before falling to the ground... You'd think; that wouldn't happen... Well, you're right. It didn't happen to Lexie but it did happen to me. The worst thing about this incident was that I had teeth marks imprinted into my forehead, which made me the laughing stock of the station for the day. "COP ASSAULTED BY DENTCHES"
To be politically correct as we have to be these days, I am not making fun of the elderly lady, but we had to laugh at some of the funnier things that happened or you could go crazy... I suppose that did happen as well... but not back then.
In a nutshell... all police see & experience horrific things and I'm certainly not saying I've seen worse than anyone else. You cannot compare. I only speak for myself in that I’ve dealt with the seedier side of life and seen lots of violence and suffering. I’ve been assaulted a number of times and had my life threatened more than once. I’ve attended too many drug overdoses, all types of suicides, fatal car accidents and train fatalities. I’ve attended shootings, murders and cot deaths. I’ve locked up petty criminals through to drug dealers, sex offenders and paedophiles. I’ve investigated organised crime and worked undercover buying drugs off criminal identities. My career didn't have too many dull moments and I loved it.
SO AFTER SO MUCH EXCITEMENT HOW COULD I POSSIBLY LEAVE THE POLICE FORCE?
This is one of the most frequent questions I get asked...
I was officially discharged from the police force in July 2007, deemed medically unfit after being diagnosed with Chronic Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The accumulation of traumatic events I’d experienced and witnessed came back to bite me in a big way, in the form of a severe panic attack that seemingly came out of nowhere.
I felt like one moment I was myself, strong, confident, resilient and then, inexplicably I was suddenly a crumbling shadow of my former self, drowning in a sea of fear and anxiety. Every time I had a panic attack I thought I was going to die. I had many trips to doctors and the emergency room only to be told there was nothing wrong with me... not physically at least.
I struggled on like this for about two years before seeking help, mostly because I had no choice, I was not functioning and I had been unwilling to accepted there was a problem. Yes, a bit slow I know... It wasn't until I was told by a psychiatrist who specialises in PTSD, that I would never recover until I accepted my condition and left the police force. I was totally adverse to leaving the job I loved but had little choice but to retire.
WHAT MADE ME START WRITING??? ITS A LONG STORY - NOT REALLY.
After leaving the Police Force I was at a loss for what to do. My children were young but I now had time on my hands when they were at school. I was also not in a good way. My Mother, the late LYNNE WILDING, was a successful mainstream novelist, and she suggested I write my police experiences down as a form of therapy. "Write about the good, bad and the funny of being a police woman," she told me. So I did. What else did I have to do??? Surprisingly, I found writing about real life events really helped get things literally off my chest, out of my head and onto paper - or the computer... Don't get me wrong, it was hard at first. Sometimes I had to walk away when writing about a cot death that had affected me, a triple fatal car accident involving kids, or while remembering a suicide or drug overdose that was imbedded in my mind for whatever reason. But writing my stories also allowed me to remember not just the bad things I'd seen, but the good things I'd done, the funny times I'd had with my workmates and a whole lot more positives, instead of just focusing on the negatives.
There is no way I can list all that I did in my twenty year police career but I can certainly say it was interesting, at times scary, satisfying, frustrating and bizarrely entertaining. Some of the things police/emergency services workers witness and experience, can be almost too weird or strange to believe.
If I wrote in one of my fictional crime books about Lexie being called to an alleged explosion, to find on arrival, the explosion had been a blown light bulb and the elderly lady (with nine cats, no joke) who'd called for help, forgot she'd done so and therefore, panicking upon seeing the police arrive at her house, pulled out her false teeth and launched them at the intruders in blue - which happened to hit Lexie in the forehead before falling to the ground... You'd think; that wouldn't happen... Well, you're right. It didn't happen to Lexie but it did happen to me. The worst thing about this incident was that I had teeth marks imprinted into my forehead, which made me the laughing stock of the station for the day. "COP ASSAULTED BY DENTCHES"
To be politically correct as we have to be these days, I am not making fun of the elderly lady, but we had to laugh at some of the funnier things that happened or you could go crazy... I suppose that did happen as well... but not back then.
In a nutshell... all police see & experience horrific things and I'm certainly not saying I've seen worse than anyone else. You cannot compare. I only speak for myself in that I’ve dealt with the seedier side of life and seen lots of violence and suffering. I’ve been assaulted a number of times and had my life threatened more than once. I’ve attended too many drug overdoses, all types of suicides, fatal car accidents and train fatalities. I’ve attended shootings, murders and cot deaths. I’ve locked up petty criminals through to drug dealers, sex offenders and paedophiles. I’ve investigated organised crime and worked undercover buying drugs off criminal identities. My career didn't have too many dull moments and I loved it.
SO AFTER SO MUCH EXCITEMENT HOW COULD I POSSIBLY LEAVE THE POLICE FORCE?
This is one of the most frequent questions I get asked...
I was officially discharged from the police force in July 2007, deemed medically unfit after being diagnosed with Chronic Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The accumulation of traumatic events I’d experienced and witnessed came back to bite me in a big way, in the form of a severe panic attack that seemingly came out of nowhere.
I felt like one moment I was myself, strong, confident, resilient and then, inexplicably I was suddenly a crumbling shadow of my former self, drowning in a sea of fear and anxiety. Every time I had a panic attack I thought I was going to die. I had many trips to doctors and the emergency room only to be told there was nothing wrong with me... not physically at least.
I struggled on like this for about two years before seeking help, mostly because I had no choice, I was not functioning and I had been unwilling to accepted there was a problem. Yes, a bit slow I know... It wasn't until I was told by a psychiatrist who specialises in PTSD, that I would never recover until I accepted my condition and left the police force. I was totally adverse to leaving the job I loved but had little choice but to retire.
WHAT MADE ME START WRITING??? ITS A LONG STORY - NOT REALLY.
After leaving the Police Force I was at a loss for what to do. My children were young but I now had time on my hands when they were at school. I was also not in a good way. My Mother, the late LYNNE WILDING, was a successful mainstream novelist, and she suggested I write my police experiences down as a form of therapy. "Write about the good, bad and the funny of being a police woman," she told me. So I did. What else did I have to do??? Surprisingly, I found writing about real life events really helped get things literally off my chest, out of my head and onto paper - or the computer... Don't get me wrong, it was hard at first. Sometimes I had to walk away when writing about a cot death that had affected me, a triple fatal car accident involving kids, or while remembering a suicide or drug overdose that was imbedded in my mind for whatever reason. But writing my stories also allowed me to remember not just the bad things I'd seen, but the good things I'd done, the funny times I'd had with my workmates and a whole lot more positives, instead of just focusing on the negatives.
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My Wonderful Mum, Lynne Wilding
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I HAVE BIG BOOTS TO FILL... MUM WROTE 13 INTERNATIONAL BEST SELLERS, SOME OF WHICH ARE STILL BEING SOLD TODAY...
ANOTHER SURPRISE: I discovered I loved to write. I had always been a big reader but I'd never thought about writing. My stories grew into a little book of memoirs I entitled "COP THIS." My mother showed COP THIS to her Literary Agent, Selwa Anthony and Selwa suggested I draw from these real life events to create a fictional crime book. Easier said than done of course! Having lived the life of a cop I knew what it was like to work in a police station. I knew what a typical day in the life of a detective entailed, so I could relate to my main characters who are police, but... I had no idea where to even begin when it came to writing a book. Sadly, by the time I started taking my writing seriously my mother had passed away from Cancer - how I hate that disease - so she was not here to lend advice. So I did lots of reading, analysed crime books, bought “How to write fiction for dummies,” and slowly… very slowly, I commenced the long process of learning how to write a manuscript.
Sinister Intent was four years in the making and one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I can honestly say my respect for writers has grown immensely and I take my hat off to anyone who has ever completed a manuscript. On the days I felt like throwing the computer out the window I thought of my mother - my inspiration - who wrote numerous manuscripts for ten years before becoming published. And that was before computers. She wrote on one of those antique typewriter things, using liquid paper instead of the delete key to correct mistakes... Not sure how she did it really. Though I remember as a teenager papers spread across the dinning room table and mum sitting there for hours typing noisily away... Those memories kept me going when I felt like giving up. Very glad I didn't because in 2012 I was lucky enough to be offered a two book publishing deal with Simon & Schuster. Even now, after completing my third book it still doesn’t seem real. Have to regularly pinch myself...
SINISTER INTENT Book launch 16 august 2013
I WAS BLOWN AWAY WITH THE SUPPORT I RECIEVED FROM FAMILY, FRIENDS, OLD WORK MATES, THE GREATER POLICE COMMUNITY OF THOSE I DIDN'T KNOW & THE LOCAL COMMUNITY IN GENERAL... IM VERY LUCKY...
Signing my first book for Lucy, a special lady I've known since I was six.
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My lovely Literary Agent Selwa Anthony.
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WHAT MADE ME CHOOSE THE BOOKS SETTING'S?
My agent told me to write what I know and love, so I suppose it came naturally to write crime and to have the setting in Sydney, where I have lived all my life. Working as a cop since the age of nineteen around the streets of Newtown, Kings Cross, Bondi and the city – including living at Bronte for ten years – it seemed the easiest option because I know the area’s. It also helps that Sydney's eastern beaches are internationally known, especially Bondi, and that it is a beautiful part of Australia.
My agent told me to write what I know and love, so I suppose it came naturally to write crime and to have the setting in Sydney, where I have lived all my life. Working as a cop since the age of nineteen around the streets of Newtown, Kings Cross, Bondi and the city – including living at Bronte for ten years – it seemed the easiest option because I know the area’s. It also helps that Sydney's eastern beaches are internationally known, especially Bondi, and that it is a beautiful part of Australia.
Poor Hugh is looking a bit flat here... This pic was taken at The Romance Writers of Australia conference in Adelaide in 2016. It was the 25th conference and I spoke about the first ever Australian President of the RWA, my mother, Lynne Wilding.
It was fancy dress - don't usually dress in feathers, not that I'll admit to anyway - and that's my touring buddy, the very lovely and successful author, Trish Stringer.
It was fancy dress - don't usually dress in feathers, not that I'll admit to anyway - and that's my touring buddy, the very lovely and successful author, Trish Stringer.
LOVE THIS PIC... FRIENDS TRAVELLED AROUND AUSTRALIA TAKING FATAL MISTAKE WITH THEM AND THIS PHOTO WAS TAKEN IN REAL CROCKODILE DUNDEE COUNTRY. MAY HAVE EVEN BEEN THE WALKABOUT CREEK HOTEL... AS IN THE MOVIE...
With my literary agent, Selwa Anthony and author Kim Wilkins aka Kimberley Freeman at an author's lunch at Parliament House in Sydney.
HOW MUCH OF MY BOOKS ARE BASED ON PERSONAL EXPERIENCE?
The plots are mostly fictional with real life events woven through the storyline. Lexie and the other characters experience situations that I've experienced or witnessed so some parts of the books are very close to the truth, because that's where I get my idea's from. I also know that the incident, whatever it might be, actually did happen - because it happened to me. I've had people say: that wouldn't happen... yet it did, because I saw it, lived it. My police career ensured I have plenty of ideas for storylines. I like to say I write fiction derived from reality. I also like to say, real life is often stranger than fiction, because it is sooooo true...
The plots are mostly fictional with real life events woven through the storyline. Lexie and the other characters experience situations that I've experienced or witnessed so some parts of the books are very close to the truth, because that's where I get my idea's from. I also know that the incident, whatever it might be, actually did happen - because it happened to me. I've had people say: that wouldn't happen... yet it did, because I saw it, lived it. My police career ensured I have plenty of ideas for storylines. I like to say I write fiction derived from reality. I also like to say, real life is often stranger than fiction, because it is sooooo true...
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IS IT TRUE THE FULL MOON MAKES PEOPLE CRAZY???
Yes, yes, yes... Ask any emergency service worker and they will tell you the tale is true. It is always the busiest nights when the moon is full. I don't know why but it just sends people crazy. That is my official and totally unqualified opinion. |
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On the Australian voices in print tour in 2015 with Jenn J McLeod, Tricia Stringer, Simon & Schuster Australia and Harlequin. We were lucky enough to travel around rural NSW in this van (five of us + luggage & books, without killing each other) for two weeks talking to local book lovers.This shot was taken at our first stop, Bathurst, and it was freezing...
With the lovely Shannon Garner at her book launch of Labour of Love
WHO IS MY FAVOURITE AUTHOR OR GREATEST LITERARY INFLUENCES?
I OFTEN GET ASKED THIS QUESTION... There are too many great authors out there to only have one favourite. I like reading all types of books but because I’m writing crime fiction I tend to gravitate towards that genre. So on the top of my list would be Tess Gerritsen, Karin Slaughter, Katherine Howell, Tara Moss, Alex Kava, Jaye Ford & Sandra Brown to name a few.
My greatest literary influence I have to say was my mother – author of twelve best-selling novels, the late Lynne Wilding. She endured ten years of rejections before finally becoming published. Her determination to never give up on her dream is my inspiration. Once becoming published my mother wanted to help other Australian writers to succeed, so she took time out from her own writing to help establish Romance Writers of Australia. I love the fact that not only did she love writing and became successful, she also had a great passion for helping other writers…
I OFTEN GET ASKED THIS QUESTION... There are too many great authors out there to only have one favourite. I like reading all types of books but because I’m writing crime fiction I tend to gravitate towards that genre. So on the top of my list would be Tess Gerritsen, Karin Slaughter, Katherine Howell, Tara Moss, Alex Kava, Jaye Ford & Sandra Brown to name a few.
My greatest literary influence I have to say was my mother – author of twelve best-selling novels, the late Lynne Wilding. She endured ten years of rejections before finally becoming published. Her determination to never give up on her dream is my inspiration. Once becoming published my mother wanted to help other Australian writers to succeed, so she took time out from her own writing to help establish Romance Writers of Australia. I love the fact that not only did she love writing and became successful, she also had a great passion for helping other writers…
WHAT DO I DO WHEN NOT WRITING & WHAT IS MY FAVOURITE WAY TO RELAX?
For me relaxing is not always easy. I have to tell myself constantly to relax as my mind is ridiculously active. I’m always on guard waiting for something to happen; An unfortunate consequence of having been a cop. However, in my down time I love to go for a ride on my motor bike, feel the wind in my hair. I also like to read, I've always been a huge reader and I've recently discovered NETFLIX - which is not good because its a distraction from writing. Since I am sitting at the computer a lot I try to fit some exercise into my day somewhere – though that doesn’t always happen. I am doing Pilates now though. And I do enjoy having a glass of wine at the end of the day with my husband and, or friends... WHAT DO I ENJOY MOST ABOUT BEING A NOVELIST? I enjoy creating a story and plotting it out then watching it all come together. Of course this doesn’t happen on the first attempt. It takes a lot of playing around, adding scenes, editing the writing, checking I’ve added clues or important pieces of information. I liken putting a book together to preparing a brief of evidence to be produced at court. You have to check you have all the facts and all the evidence. That it makes sense, that all loose ends are tied up and it creates a sort of picture. I also like it when it’s completed and my agent likes it… big sigh of relief. Writing also suits my lifestyle now. I love being at home, writing in my own time and always being here for my daughters – even though they don’t need me as much now, I still like to be around for them. WHAT WAS THE BEST THING ABOUT THE JOB? One of the best things about the job was the satisfaction of getting a result; the knowledge that I was partly responsible for putting away someone who was a danger to society. It made me feel as though I, and my colleagues, had made a difference, no matter how small. I also felt a sense of satisfaction when I knew I’d helped someone through a bad time, like losing a loved one in an accident or worse. A lady once brought me a present because I had been compassionate to her after I had reported on her son’s death. I remember thinking at the time that if I did nothing else for the rest of my career at least I’ve helped one person. I also loved the camaraderie that existed between my workmates, the sense of belonging to a little community that protected and understood each other. WHAT WAS THE WORST THING ABOUT THE JOB? The worst thing for me about being a cop was the traumatic scenes I witnessed as part of the job. Police (AND ALL EMERGENCY SERVICES) see and experience things on a daily basis that most people never have to deal with. Yes it’s part of the job but police are human and death and suffering affects them just as much as anyone else. WHAT WAS THE MOST DANGEROUS SITUATION YOU FOUND YOURSELF IN? When I was in uniform I attended a job where a man had been stabbed. I was assisting him while waiting for the ambulance to arrive. Out of the blue his son, who was drug and alcohol affected, grabbed me from behind, wrapped his arm around my neck and trapped me in a head lock. Smashing the beer bottle he was drinking from on the gutter, he held the broken glass to my neck and threatened to kill me. Thankfully backup arrived and arrested the offender before I sustained any physical injuries but this incident is something I will never forget. WHO IS LEXIE ROGERS? Lexie Rogers is my main character. She is young, twenty eight years old and very attractive; tall and slim with long blond hair and big brown eyes. Having been a uniform cop for eight years at Kings Cross she decides to follow her dream of becoming a detective and after successfully completing the detectives’ course she applies and wins a position at Bondi Junction detectives’ office. However, just before being transferred Lexie is called to a stabbing where she also becomes the victim of a vicious knife attack. After a few months off work to recover, Lexie takes up her position as the newest detective at Bondi Junction. However, she is still traumatised and struggling with her demons. She is also still recovering from the loss of her brother – who had been killed on duty – and the break-up of her marriage, which has left her apprehensive about men and relationships. Yet she is determined to prove that the events of the past will not contaminate her future. Fear will not stand in her way. 
I just love this book placing. The good and the bad. Not saying which is which though...
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With Mark Tedeschi AM QC. The Senior Crown Prosecutor for NSW, and the author of three true crime novels. This pic was taken at an event upon the release of his second book "Kidnapped." We share Simon & Schuster as our publishers and I was asked to interview him about this story. Feeling very underqualified I interrogated Mr QC, (very nicely) in front of his readers. It was lots of fun and a privilege to meet such a smart and lovely man.
(2017) RECEIVING MY SERVICE MEDALS FROM ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER WALTON AT CRONULLA RSL.
MY LOVELY HUSBAND GAVE ME THIS AS A REPRESENTATION OF MY TIME IN THE POLICE FORCE. IT HANGS PROUDLY IN MY STUDY.
MY BOOKS WERE PART OF A COLLECTION OF BOOK PRIZES AT AN AUTHOR TALK AT PARLIAMENT HOUSE IN 2017. I WAS EXCITED TO SEE DEADLY OBSESSION, ON THE LEFT, AND ONE OF MY MOTHERS BOOK, TOP RIGHT, IN THERE TOGETHER. YOU DON'T SEE THAT EVERY DAY...
GIVING BACK...
I find myself in a lucky position at this stage of my life and often try to think of ways to give back to society. My husband and I donate to certain charities each year. I've donated my books as prizes for special events or fund raisers and charities like; "Love your sister" (research to prevent/treat breast cancer, "Grace's Place," the development of a safe environment for victims of crime and their families - named after murdererd Sydney nurse, Anitta Cobby's mother. I collect for the homeless and next year, I will be doing a course to assist families in hardship with small children. This is not a selfless ambition - I just want to play with babies again... I also enjoy speaking at Probus groups once a month, chatting with and getting to know senior book lovers. 
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Below: With Jessica Rowe at a charity lunch for Kookaburra kids - an organisation that helps troubled kids. That's Belinda Neil (Academy buddy & good friend on the right) and Nikki Cousins (Another writer in front) Jessica- the key note speaker - talked about her own troubles with Post Natal Depression and she was so honest and nice I couldn't hate her for being so skinny...
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VERY HAPPY ABOUT THIS JUST AFTER THE LAUNCH...
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ASK A STUPID QUESTION AND I'LL GIVE YOU AN EQUALLY STUPID ANSWER...
One of the most ridiculous thing I was asked as a young uniformed officer was by an old man who walked up to me in King street Newtown and pointed to my firearm on my hip... "Is that a real gun, do they give girls a real gun?" He asked completely straight faced. I replied, "Of course not, its plastic." He nodded and smiled, "Thought so," he said, and walked away. Ask a stupid question and I'll give you an equally stupid answer... I should have said it was a water pistol...
One of the most ridiculous thing I was asked as a young uniformed officer was by an old man who walked up to me in King street Newtown and pointed to my firearm on my hip... "Is that a real gun, do they give girls a real gun?" He asked completely straight faced. I replied, "Of course not, its plastic." He nodded and smiled, "Thought so," he said, and walked away. Ask a stupid question and I'll give you an equally stupid answer... I should have said it was a water pistol...
FATAL MISTAKE BOOK LAUNCH AT HARRY HARTOGS, MIRANDA IN JULY 2017
LEFT: THAT'S MY FATHER JOHN AND DEANNE (LAUGHING) WHO HAS BEEN MY FRIEND SINCE WE WERE SIX...
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ABOVE: From left, my brother Brett, oldest daughter Liah, me, my younger daughter Tara holding her cousin, Willow and Dad.,
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WITH NICKY, MY ACADEMY MATE AND FRIEND.
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MY TWO CARTOON GIRLS. I LOVE THIS PIC OF LIAH & TARA WHEN THEY WERE LITTLE. I ALSO LOVE PLAYING WITH THE CARTOON APP... OBVIOUSLY.
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FOUND THIS PIC ON GOOGLE. HAVE NO IDEA WHO TOOK IT BUT THINK ITS GREAT...
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I ABSOLUTELY LOVE ANIMALS... I'VE HAD RABBITS, MICE, LOVE BIRDS, DOGS CATS AND EVEN A HORSE AT ONE STAGE, WHICH WAS ABSOLUTELY CRAZY AND SCARED THE HELL OUT OF ME...
THIS IS MY CAT HEIDI - WHO THINKS SHE IS A HUMAN SITTING ON THE KITCHEN BENCH.
BELOW: BILLY (DEC) ON THE RIGHT EARLY 2017 AND HIS SON, BENNY - ONE OF THE PUPS WE KEPT - ON THE LEFT. BENNY IS NOW OUR ONE AND ONLY DOG AND SPOILT ROTTEN.
THIS IS MY CAT HEIDI - WHO THINKS SHE IS A HUMAN SITTING ON THE KITCHEN BENCH.
BELOW: BILLY (DEC) ON THE RIGHT EARLY 2017 AND HIS SON, BENNY - ONE OF THE PUPS WE KEPT - ON THE LEFT. BENNY IS NOW OUR ONE AND ONLY DOG AND SPOILT ROTTEN.
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My daughter Tara with one of the nine pups our dogs, Ella and Billy (both now sadly deceased)
produced. Before they had puppies the girls married them in our lounge room so it was all very proper... |