I've loved to create stories for as long as I can remember; characters come tumbling out of my brain and worlds develop around them. I have always wanted to be a writer but, somehow, life got in the way - with writing happening "in between". Not that I regret the eddies of my life. I grew up in a lovely, noisy, active, Dutch/Indonesian-origin migrant family, the second child of eight with a father and mother who knew how to laugh, had a keen interest in not taking anything for granted, and loved to philosophise and read books; they valued education and thoughtfulness. Reflecting now on my childhood, I often wonder why, given that I was often scribbling stories, that my parents didn't encourage me to take up a writing career. I asked my mother about it once (when I was already in my fifties); she said that "it just never occurred to us" - funnily enough, it never occurred to me either. Now, with my children grown up and the space to finally indulge, I've decided to bring my creations to the fore and show them to others.