About the Author - Karenne Griffin
I was born in Tasmania, Australia. I grew up in a town which has much in common with Pontypool. For a start it rains quite a lot in Tasmania, believe it or not. Tasmania has a cool temperate climate much like that of South Wales. My home town was a small community where everyone knew everyone else. And there is plenty of unemployment due to much of the local industry having gone from the area.
Like many young people I moved to mainland Australia in search of better work prospects. And that was a jumping-off point for a working holiday in Europe from which I never returned.
As a child I always had my nose in a book, and I suppose it was only natural that I started to put pen to paper at an early age. It was a means of exercising a vivid imagination. About 20 years ago I did a correspondence course which gave some helpful advice on how to structure short stories.
Short stories led to longer stories, and I wrote the first draft of my first novel while working for a firm which slid into insolvency over a period of months. At least my writing made me look busy when there was very little to do.
My second novel grew from a dream and took 3 years to write. I'm now working on my third novel which is set in Wales.
I haven't so far had any success in getting my novels published, but have had two poems included in anthologies of poetry. And to my amazement I won second prize in Poet of Pontypool 2007.
I joined Pontypool and District Writers' Group in 2006 and have met some interesting people who are talented writers.
A former resident of London, I have been living in the Pontypool area for around seven years and hope to be here for some time to come.