Aileen Lightfoot

Born and raised in Billericay, Essex, Aileen is an Essex girl in the best sense of the word. Her father’s love of classical music and literature influenced her from an early age. Her interest in music led her to start playing the violin at age seven, followed much later in life by the flute and saxophone. This has given her the opportunity of playing many types of music, ranging from classical to folk, and since 1993 she has taught music, passing on some of her knowledge and enjoyment of music to young and old alike. She also continued her own studies, achieving a Master’s degree in music with the Open University in 2013.

In 1999, Aileen and her husband Gordon swapped the security of England for the unknown quantity of a life on the Costa Blanca in Spain, intending to spend more time together. After twenty years of teaching music in a local international school, she ‘retired’ at the age of sixty and is now concentrating on conducting three choirs, writing and walking.

Aileen’s first two children’s books – ‘Freddie and the Wigs’ and ‘Thomas’s New Shoes’, both beautifully illustrated by Mischa Fulljames – were published in 2007 and tell the story of the Twirlies – part-humans with four legs and four arms. Further books are planned in the Twirly series, together with some fantasy books – all for children, teenagers and the young at heart. Her first full length book ‘Redset’ telling the story of a young orphaned squirrel was released on Kindle in 2014 and in paperback in 2019.

More information on Aileen’s books can be found on her website: www.aileenlightfoot.com or you can follow her on her Facebook page: @Lightfoot Books.