The Story Behind My Stories series began because readers wanted to know how my life experiences fed into the DI Matthew Goodwin crime fiction series.

I retired on the 9 June this year. I said I was retiring to write full time. I reached a point where running someone else's company as the General Manager, really the COO, didn't leave enough time or energy to write. I was also a mother to a twenty one year old who was still financially dependent on me while at university and living at home. I was a dog mum. I was a partner in a relationship that was still fairly new but solid, fulfilling and supportive. Something had to give

Imposter syndrome and the question "Am I good enough?" sit in the same place for me. They show up at the same time. They feel the same in my body. They arrive every time I publish and every time I start something new.

When I first had the idea for The Author Season of The Story Behind My Stories podcast back in June, I thought it would be a small, quiet project. Something I could do to genuinely support indie authors, fill the gaps between my own podcast seasons and share the stories behind the stories we all carry. I didn’t expect what happened next.

On Instagram, TikTok, and Threads, there’s a constant stream of posts urging people to “support indie authors,” “drop your books below,” or “share your links so I can boost you.” It sounds wonderful. It looks supportive. It feels like a chance to be seen. Except… most of the time, nothing happens.