I began my writing career with the publication of my groundbreaking novel, Marge (Sheba), which dealt with subject of child sexual abuse in the format of a thriller. I was then sidetracked into film, first with Shields Stories for Amber Films, a ten part drama series written with two other writers which won several awards – in the New York Video festival and from the Royal Television Society. After this came the multiple award-winning feature film Dream On, also for Amber Films.

Radio was my next adventure. My first play, Grandma and Mrs Chatterjee (BBC Radio 4), was shortlisted for the CRE Best First play award. I wrote four plays for BBC Radio 4, ending with Pig Paradise, before concentrating on theatre plays for a while. Durham Theatre Company commissioned three plays, the first of which was Fox.

After that I wrote plays for Quondam Theatre Co, Negative Returns; Live Theatre – Doctor Incurables in Twelve Tales of Tyneside; Bellingham Theatre Co/National Park, Sticks & Stones, Making Plans For Jessica, Cloud Nine Theatre Co, and worked on the text for Northern Stage's version of Romeo & Juliet.

I returned to novel writing in 1999 with the publication of my novel, Snapdragons (Brandon). This was followed in 2002 by Small Acts of Treachery (Brandon) which was nominated for the Sunday Independent/Hughes & Hughes best Irish novel of the year award.

My last novel, Pigtopia, was published in the UK by Faber & Faber in September 2005, and in October 2005 by Miramax in the USA. Currently it has been sold to 15 different territories. Pigtopia came second in the Barnes & Noble Discover Award in the USA in spring 2006. I am currently working on a second novel for Faber & Faber.

Before giving up full-time work to concentrate on writing I did a variety of jobs, from butter maid to wax trimmer, via photographic technician and waitress to art lecturer. I have done a number of writing residencies in a variety of places: in Manchester with The Sikh Action Centre which resulted in a book, Speaking for Ourselves and a video; in Yorkshire with Bradford & Ilkley College, working with tutors and students; on BBC Radio Newcastle which resulted in several slots promoting new poetry; in Gateshead with Libraries & Community Education which resulted in the development of a youth theatre which produced its own play, a mixed writing group and a Life Stories Group; on the Meadowell Estate in North Shields, which fed into the award-winning feature film Dream On and a book of women's writing, Mixed Feelings, funded by ACE; on the Sherwood Estate in Durham City which produced a booklet of writing; with a group of tenants in County Durham which produced The NUB magazine in Ushaw Moor; working with women prisoners at Low Newton prison to create a radio play, On My Toes, which was performed as a rehearsed reading in the prison to an invited audience, and at Durham Literary Festival; setting up after-school writing clubs called Spit it Out with Newcastle City Libraries which resulted in a national library award.

I have worked extensively in educational settings for many years, most recently I was in residence in three counties: North Yorkshire, Co Durham and Cumbria, working with Year 5 & 6 students to create a novel, the result was The Bone Man, published in 2002 by Amulet Press. In South Tyneside, I initiated, facilitated and worked as a writer on the Aliens Project for Enterprise in Education, which had three writers and three directors creating 20 minute plays with years 8 which were performed to great acclaim at the Customs House, South Shields.

I have been a visiting lecturer at Newcastle University; Sheffield Poly; Northumberland University; Sunderland University, the Open University and a tutor at Arvon, The Old School House, Haltwhistle and Fen Farm. I have been co-editor of Iron Press since 1999.