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I was born in Cheshire but my parents moved to London when I was very young, and my school years and first jobs were there. In the 1950s and 1960s, I was an Air Hostess, which was considered a very glamourous job at the time and was very much sought after. On one flight, I didn’t recognise a young (unknown at that time) actor who was a passenger and he wrote a message to me in a menu that read: “I love you, Miss Austin. Sean Connery.” (Yes, I still have that menu!) After flying, I returned to secretarial work and was offered a job in Libya. By taking that job, I changed my life completely because I met and married my American husband, Harry, in Libya. Two different nationalities getting married in a third country and satisfying the laws of UK, USA and Libya is a story in itself -- and we were only engaged for 30 days!
After marrying, we moved around the world, and I have lived and worked in California, Texas, and Calgary – as well as returning to Libya twice. I enjoyed living in these places, but eventually I found that I was homesick for England and when my husband retired, we came to live in West Sussex. I love England and everything about it – the changes of season, the countryside, market towns and villages, ancient buildings -- even the weather! After living in hot and humid places for many years, even a rainy day is welcome!
I have done voluntary work (mostly fund raising) for animal charities in USA and England, and been given awards by two of these organisations. After coming back to England to live, I started writing as a freelance and had articles published in many magazines including “Hello!”, “Sussex Life” and other county magazines. I have appeared on TV’s “Newsnight”, “Ready to Wear”, and I was a champion on “Countdown”. Nowadays, in addition to writing, I am frequently invited by clubs and societies to be a guest speaker at their meetings.
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