My Story

When I was a child I loved nothing more than to get lost in stories. I spent most of my time with my head buried in a book, or pen in hand thinking up stories. One of my most vivid memories was taking my week’s pocket money and excitedly heading to the local shops to buy the latest book in the Trixie Belden mysteries series. Books and stationery were my thing. Geeky, I know. My tiny bedroom was filled with books and bookish paraphernalia. I dreamed of becoming a journalist when I grew up. By the time I hit my teens I’d stopped writing, but my love of reading continued.

At the end of year 10, I didn’t want to continue at school. I couldn’t wait to leave and enter the world of work. I’d had enough of the day-to-day drudgery of school. In my rush to stop learning and start earning, my dream of becoming a journalist quickly faded.

I landed a job in publishing production at The Advertiser newspaper, one of the two daily newspapers in Adelaide at that time. It’s interesting that I didn’t pursue journalism as a career, but I did end up working for a newspaper.

My experience in the publishing industry didn’t stop when I left The Advertiser four years later. I continued to work in print, advertising and book publishing.

After spending my career in publishing production, I decided, in 2015, to expand my skill-set and become an editor. After much research, I enrolled in a Bachelor of Professional Writing and Publishing at Curtin University.

It was while doing that degree that my childhood love of writing was re-awakened. I loved uni study so much, that when I finished that degree I went on to complete a Master of Creative Writing at Macquarie University. With that under my belt, I decided to continue with study and began a Postgraduate Diploma in Communication (digital media, visual communication design and journalism). I’m one unit away from completing that diploma.

Writing and editing bring me joy. I get in the flow when I’m researching and writing. I love to interview people and draw their stories out. The depth of people’s life experience never ceases to amaze me. We all have a story to tell.

While entrenched in tertiary study, just to make life interesting, I took a course in life coaching and another in NLP to gain the skills to help people achieve their goals. I work with writers who are trying to finish their book, those who have written and are wanting to self-publish, and finally women who dream of starting a business later in life.

Along with writing, I continue to work in the publishing and graphic design industries. I am the founder of Adala Group, a business that has three brands under that banner: Adala Studio, Adala Publishing and Adala Means Business.

Working in Adala Studio, I use my skills in graphic design, writing and editing to help business owners with their communication requirements.

Adala Publishing is a book coaching and publishing business. I help non-fiction authors and business owners to write and publish their work. 

Adala Means Business combines my visual design and written communication skills, business knowledge and coaching skills to help mature women achieve their dream of starting a business.

I am a Professional Member of the Institute of Professional Editors, as well as a member of Writer’s Victoria, the Australian Society of Authors, and the Australian Book Designers Association. 

Keep an eye on my blog as I’ll be posting my articles, as well as on the Substack platform.

I’m currently working on three writing projects. My memoir, Wading Through the Mud, telling my story of the challenges I experienced growing up in Australia in the 1960s and 70s as the child of parents from two vastly different cultures and the effect that had on me throughout my life. My second book, with the working title Conscious Cafe, is a tale of the relationships between a group of women who frequent a local cafe. It takes a look at the masks women wear, and how friendships formed between mature women can be not what they seem. The project that is taking priority though, is a book to help self publishing authors. That will be the first to be released in 2025.

When I’m not working or writing, you’ll find me reading, studying, trying to tame my overgrown garden, or immersing myself in nature by taking a walk in the forest near my home. The thing that tops my list of favourite things to do, is spending time with my precious family.