Please don’t forget to have your free mammogram if you are aged between 45 and 69 and live in New Zealand!

I was diagnosed with breast cancer three years ago at a routine screening and consider myself fortunate that it was picked up at a very early stage. Life is back to normal for me, but women are being diagnosed every day and they need our support.

From now until 14 September, I am donating the profit from sales of my novel, ‘The Widow’s Secret’, to the Cancer Society’s Daffodil Day Appeal (28 August 2020), as a small thank you for the support I received from the Cancer Society. The profit on each book sold is about $2.

Having a health scare sure does make you rethink your priorities in life. When I looked at what I most wanted to do, taking time out to write a novel was right up there. Little did I realise just how much I would enjoy writing. Definitely the shiny silver lining on a fleeting dark cloud.