I grew up in Nottingham, England, and went on to study Theology at Manchester University to PhD level. I trained as a teacher in London then won a Kennedy Scholarship to do postdoctoral research as a Visiting Fellow at Harvard University. I was in America for four years. Back in England I became a church minister in Oxford. I then worked in bookselling in London and most recently taught Theology for seven years at Trinity College, Bristol.
I am now a freelance writer and speaker, specialising in C S Lewis, J R R Tolkien and Dorothy L Sayers, and writing my own fiction and non-fiction.
[See below for CV]
Curriculum Vitae
School:
Bramcote Hills Grammar School, Nottingham (1970-77)
University:
University of Manchester (1977-84)
BA Hons in Theology First Class (1980)
PhD in Theology (1984)
Title: The Interpretation of Prophecy and Expectations of the End in Britain, 1845-1883.
University of London (1984-85)
Postgraduate Certificate in Education (1985) (with Distinction in classroom teaching ability)
Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA (1985-86)
Kennedy Scholar and Visiting Fellow in the Dept of the History of American Civilization, doing postdoctoral research on Contemporary American Fundamentalist Eschatology.
Work:
St Paul’s Episcopal Church, Malden, MA, USA (1986-87)
Ministerial Intern in Pastoral Counselling and Education.
Essex Christian Academy, Danvers, MA, USA (1987-89)
Teacher in Biblical Studies and Humanities at a private Senior High School (ages 14-18).
Training:
Wycliffe Hall, Oxford (1990-92)
Trained for Ordination in the Church of England. Diploma in Pastoral Studies.
Year-long placement as Chapel Assistant at St Edmund Hall, Oxford.
President of the Oxford C S Lewis Society (1991).
Work:
St Aldate’s Church, Oxford (1992-96)
Assistant Curate (1992-95).
Ordained Deacon in December 1992 and Priest in April 1994 (one of the first women to be ordained priest in the Church of England, therefore first woman to ever celebrate communion at St Aldate’s).
Oxford Pastorate (1995-96)
Assistant Chaplain to students, based at St Aldate’s church.
Wesley Owen Books and Music, London (1997-2001)
Bookseller and shop manager.
Honorary Curate at St Michael’s, Chester Square, London.
Wycliffe Hall, Oxford (2001 – 2004)
Director of Lifelong Learning. Taught Doctrine on the evening Diploma course.
Licensed as a priest to the college chapel.
Trinity College, Bristol (2004 – 2011)
Tutor in Christian Doctrine and Church History, MA Course Leader and Dean of Women (2004-9).
Teaching undergraduate and postgraduate modules accredited by the University of Bristol in Doctrine, Church History, Pastoral Theology, Spirituality, and supervising MA’s, MPhil’s and PhDs. Licensed as a priest to the college chapel.
Freelance Writer and Speaker (2012 onwards)
Reading and researching in the writings of C S Lewis, JR R Tolkien, Dorothy L Sayers, G K Chesterton, and George MacDonald for various projects. Writing my own fiction and non-fiction and speaking at events around the country.
Recent Publications:
Book Reviews:
On Amy Frykholm’s Rapture Culture: ‘Left Behind’ in Evangelical America in the Evangelical Quarterly, Jan 2008
On Stephen N Williams’ The Limits of Hope and the Logic of Love: Essays on Eschatology and Social Action, in the Evangelical Quarterly, Oct 2009
On Roger J Newell’s The Feeling Intellect: Reading the Bible with C S Lewis, Wipf and Stock, Eugene, OR, 2010 [my commendation on back of book]
On Colin Duriez’s The Oxford Inklings: Lewis, Tolkien and their Circle, LionHudson, Oxford, 2015 [my commendation at front of book]
On Russ Parker’s Pilgrim Wild book of poems, Amazon Kindle, 2020 [my commendation at front and back of book]
Booklet:
The Oxford of J R R Tolkien and C S Lewis, Oxford Heritage Trails, 2006
Devotional:
Reflections for Daily Prayer (Lent to Pentecost), Church House Publishing, London, 2009 [Contributor]
The C S Lewis Bible, HarperCollins US, 2010 [Contributor]
Reflections for Daily Prayer (Advent 2018 to Eve of Advent 2019), Church House Publishing, London, 2018 [Contributor]
Reflections for Sunday (Year C), Church House Publishing, London, 2018 [Contributor]
Novels:
Pig’s Progress, Piquant Editions, Carlisle, 2011
A Murder in Michaelmas, Piquant Editions, Carlisle, 2012
Murder and Mr Rochester, Amazon Kindle, 2016
Night and Mr Knightley, Amazon Kindle, 2020
Articles (Magazines):
‘Looking Forward…and Back Again: the 75th Anniversary of The Hobbit’, in Rapport, the magazine of the Lee Abbey Movement, Sept-Dec 2012
‘The Book that Beat The Hobbit: Why Tolkien lost out on the Carnegie Medal of 1937’ [paper given at the Tolkien Society Oxonmoot, Sept 2012, to be published in the Proceedings of the Tolkien Society]
‘Truth, Lies… and Plagiarism’, in Christian Writer, Winter 2014
‘C S Lewis on Unsought Originality’, in Christian Writer, Spring 2015
‘Eve Garnett and the Hobbit’, in Woman Alive, May 2016
Articles (Books):
‘Lewis as Teacher and Servant’ in Women and C S Lewis, edited by Carolyn Curtis and Mary Pomroy Key, LionHudson, Oxford, 2015
‘What Can Twenty First Century Apologetics Learn from C S Lewis?’ [Contributor to Panel Discussion] and ‘A Reflection on C S Lewis’ Memorial Service’ in C S Lewis in Poet’s Corner, edited by Michael Ward and Peter S Williams, Cascade Books, Wipe & Stock, Eugene, Oregon, 2016