Antonia Abbott

Antonia spent her early years in Lancashire, but from the age of three to nineteen lived in Berkshire and Oxfordshire. She only lived in Oxfordshire because the county boundaries changed! Antonia currently lives on the edge of the Cotswolds with her husband and cat.

She was educated at Cranford School in Moulsford, where her main interest was languages. Antonia found school difficult because as a Lancashire girl with the ‘wrong’ accent she never fitted in and was very much a loner. I’m sure her sense of isolation contributed to her having a vivid imagination, which is indispensable to an author. Controlling the lives and actions of her characters gives Antonia a wonderful feeling of power!

It is important to Antonia that her books are true to life, so a lot of research goes into everything Antonia writes. You could say that she writes fantasy rooted in fact.

She always loved reading, thanks to her mother, a voracious reader herself, who actively encouraged her to read. Antonia was very sad that her mother died before she started writing, so never had the opportunity to read anything she had written.

Her first novel, Mixed Emotions, was written at the age of 58, when she was nudged (quite firmly) into action following a chance meeting with a professional book coach. The rest, as they say, is history. Antonia's husband Karl was delighted, as he frequently called her a story teller and said that she should write a book!

Much to Karl’s amazement, she can write anywhere – be it in her office, on a train or at the beach.

Away from writing, Antonia's main interests are the three Cs:

Cats, collecting and cars.

The current cat incumbent in the Abbott household is Teddy – a dilute ginger and white rescue boy, who is most affectionate. He was described as a “cuddle monster” at the rescue centre. Antonia's husband is Teddy’s favourite person in the whole world, because Teddy can get anything he wants from him.

Antonia will collect almost anything, although her Derby porcelain has to come top of the list. She has many pieces, with some interesting Sansome and Hancock, a pair of original Derby dwarfs and many modern paperweights. Karl and she are very fond of frogs and have a collection of antique stone ones adorning the garden. One of Antonia's pastimes is browsing antique shops, looking for another find.

Cars could have another C added, as she does love a convertible and hasn't owned a tin top for many a year. Classic could be added to the list of Cs as well as her husband is a Classic car enthusiast, which means she gets involved too. He has a small collection of BMWs, amongst which are two rare Alpinas. Karl and Antonia can often be found doing something with one or more cars at the weekends.

Continuing with the car theme, Antonia is a great Formula 1 fan and used to be a motor racing marshal in her younger days – mainly at Silverstone and Thruxton. She is still an avid race watcher.