Rachel grew up in Dorset, in the ancient harbour town of Poole where she learnt to write. She draws inspiration from her weekends sailing with family in Poole Harbour or paddling on the shores of Brownsea Island in the shadow of the sixteenth century castle. There she and her sisters relived Enid Blyton’s Famous Five tales. Fictional ‘Kirrin Island’ is based on the real Brownsea Island, which features large in The Island Girls.

Another gorgeous spot that inspired Rachel’s first book, The Last Boat Home, is the beautiful bay of Agay on the Cote d’Azur along with all the Mediterranean delights for the senses that abound there.

Rachel married a Poole Lifeboat crew member who taught her to love hiking in the Dorset Purbeck Hills almost as much as he did. Following his death in a tragic accident, she travelled to Australia, and eventually remarried and settled in Brisbane where she has raised her family. She studied Literature and worked in publishing  before finally taking her own writing seriously enough to share it with others.