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Most of my childhood was spent in a small seaside resort on the Isle of Wight where my mother ran a Fawlty Towers-type guest house for holidaymakers during the summer months.

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After leaving school, where my main claims to fame were persistent truanting and producing caricatures of the teaching staff, I studied modern languages at the University of Exeter, gaining two degrees. I then spent some years in France before pursuing an academic career at Nairobi University, The Open University, the University of Sussex and the National Institute of Adult and Continuing Education.

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I have three children and live in a leafy part of Brighton on the south coast where I now concentrate on my first loves - writing fiction and painting.   Aftermath of a Murder, my first published novel, was followed by two others - Inheritors of the New Kingdom and A Reluctant Hero, then a collection of short stories, Ghosts, Resolution and Revenge, some of which have been short-listed for short story awards. I am a member of Brighton-based writers' cooperative Storyland Press and my fiction is published through national author co-operative, Authors Reach. The books  are available on Amazon or can be ordered for next day delivery in all good bookstores including Waterstones, under the name V K McGivney. 

Watch out for fantastic novels from new Brighton-based co-operative, Storyland Press. This is the place where the story comes first, regardless of genre or where it sits on the commercial/literary spectrum. We understand that sometimes we want a genre-based novel or lighter read, and other times we want something that is harder to categorise or more challenging – what ultimately matters is that it’s a GOOD story. 

The brainchild of Shani Struthers and fellow-Brighton author, Corinna Edwards-Colledge, we want to offer support and promotion to other local authors and – subject to quality control – invite them to publish under the Storyland Press banner. 

See our website for more details and how to contact us. www.storylandpress.com

Authors Reach is both an author co-operative and a publisher owned by its authors. The co-operative was formed between authors Sarah England, Richard Hardie, Catriona King, Gina Dickerson and Shani Struthers, with the aim of bringing a varied collection of their books directly to readers, and to invite interaction.  The publishing arm offers a wide variety of exciting books from various authors. 

Authors Reach can be found on Twitter and Facebook. Check out our website too, where you can subscribe to our newsletter for details of forthcoming releases and events. We’d love to hear from you! Click here for the Authors Reach website.

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