PROFILE: Freda Lightfoot

Long-standing overseas member Freda Lightfoot lives in Almeria Spain. ‘I always dreamed of becoming a writer for as long as I can remember,' she says, ‘but this was considered rather an exotic ambition, so my parents encouraged me to ‘get an education' and I ended up becoming a primary teacher for a number of years.'

Freda first started wring short stories and articles in the eighties when she joined the SWWJ. ‘At that time I was living in the Lake District running a bookshop and found I gradually was too busy to concentrate on writing but my passion got the better of me. I forced myself to carry on... Eventually, I got that magical first sale of an historical romance to Mills and Boon. I did five of those before moving on to sagas.'

Freda has now written thirty novels altogether. House of Angels came out in September, 2009. She never planned to live in Spain. ‘I don't like sangria, beaches or lying in the sun but my husband David and I love walking in the mountains and of course the winter weather is so much nicer than in the UK.'

Freda sets a strict daily writing routine. She is at her desk at 9am each day and works through to around two o'clock, with a short break at eleven. In the afternoon she has the glorious countryside around her to walk in or paint. Then it is back to her desk for 4.30pm for another writing session. Recently she has set herself the challenge of writing an historical novel set in 16th century France and is looking for a publisher.

All in all Freda has published over 40 short stories, numerous articles for a variety of magazines, five historical romances published by Harlequin Mills and Boon and twenty four family sagas published by Hodder and Stoughton. See more about her at her website.