Mahalia Smith

I have always loved reading but my drive to write was inspired by my English teacher, who told me she had loved one of my short stories so much, she took it home to read to her family.

It has taken me a long time to realise that writing is really all I want to do, and being a finalist in the Joffe books competition 2021 made me realise that I'm actually quite good at it!

I used to work as an Occupational Therapist in the NHS and my many years experience of working in the Mental Health sector informs a lot of what I write. I am fascinated by what makes people tick and I enjoy creating characters that don't necessarily fit under specific labels.

Being mixed race and having grown up in Tottenham, North London, I depict characters from different racial, cultural and economic backgrounds in order to illustrate real life.

Although I touch on some of the situations that my characters face - due to their colour - I do not want these situations to define them or for their experiences to become politicised or tick a diversity box. I want readers from all backgrounds to engage and connect with my characters.