Patricia Ayling

Patricia Ayling is a latecomer to writing fiction. She has previously published non-fiction health related educational books but her debut novel, largely penned while living in Cyprus, is her first historical / paranormal saga, for YA-crossover readership.

Inspired by her grannie's tale of a resident ghost and the fascinating late Tudor era, particularly the architectural genius of the work of Nicholas Owen; constructing priest holes in large Catholic homes, Patricia wanted her story to link the two elements.

'The Curse of Becton Manor' is the page turning thriller she wanted it to be.

Married with five children, it has not been easy to write a book and at the end of her journey, she empathises with passionate writers who spend inordinate amount of time submitting manuscripts.

'I did not realise how many re-writes would be needed, before the daunting task of submitting and receiving many rejections. I do encourage writers to stick at it and keep learning their craft. Choosing what is good to print is an incredibly subjective task but get it out there.'